President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday 20th June 2019, engaged the National Economic Council (NEC) to begin the means of implementing free and mandatory basic education for children as included in Section 18(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as revised).

The president said any governor who declined to provide schools, teachers and necessary teaching materials for the entrenchment of basic education would be supporting and encouraging the crime of having children away from school.

Buhari addressed this in Abuja at the inauguration of NEC for the second term of his presidency. He said another part of Section 18 mandated every government to “provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age.” Membership of NEC, which is chaired by the vice-president, comprises governors and top government officials in charge of the country’s economic affairs.

According to the president, when governors provide the basic requirements for basic education as stipulated in the constitution, it will be a criminal act for any parent to deprive their children of the opportunity to be in school during the period. He challenged governors to rise from yesterday’s meeting to mobilise their local government chairmen to provide the minimum level of education, with a view to ensure children are prevented from roaming the streets within their first nine years.

He said when this was done, children would be shielded from evil influences, adding that the minimum basic education acquired will help such children to make good decisions for their lives and simultaneously acknowledge their roles in the society.

“On education, I want to stress in particular the need to take very seriously and enforce very rigorously the statutory provisions on free and compulsory basic education. Section 18(3) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, places on all of us here an obligation to eradicate illiteracy and provide free and compulsory education.

“Section 2 of the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act provides that every government in Nigeria shall provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age. It is indeed a crime for any parent to keep his child out of school for this period. In my view, when a government fails to provide the schools, teachers and teaching materials necessary for basic education, it is actually aiding and abetting that crime.

“This is, therefore, a call to action. I would like to see every governor rise from this meeting and rally his local government chairmen towards ensuring that our schools offer the right opportunities and provide the needed materials and teachers for basic education, at the minimum. If we are able to do this, the benefits will surely manifest themselves.
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“Ensuring proper education during the first nine years of schooling means that our children start off their lives with some discipline and education. They will be safeguarded from roaming the streets and protected from all the evil influences that assail idle hands and idle minds.

“Whatever they choose to do thereafter, children with basic education will be better prepared to learn and to appreciate their own role in society. This will also go a long way in solving our security and other anti-social problems, which are often the manifestations of early delinquency. I, therefore, think every governor here should make a firm commitment to be personally involved in ensuring that every child of school age actually goes to school throughout the crucial nine years of basic education,” Buhari said.

The federal government on its part, the president added, would extend the school feeding programme, which will encourage school enrolment and enhance the health and learning abilities of pupils. He also said the federal government would assist states to access the counterpart funding provided by Universal Basic Education (UBEC) for the development of basic education.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/2019/06/21/president-buhari-asks-nec-to-begin-the-implementation-of-free-and-mandatory-basic-education-for-children/