Govt to prosecute parents who fail to send children to school

intern

November 7, 2016 2:09 PM

The state Attorney General/Commissioner of Justice said the government was already offering parents several incentives.

A girl displaced as a result of Boko Haram attack in the northeast region of Nigeria, rests her head on a desk at Maikohi secondary school camp for internally displaced persons (IDP) in Yola, Adamawa State January 13, 2015.

Borno State Government on Monday said it would prosecute parents who fail to enroll their children and wards in schools.

“Any parent either out of ignorance or willingly refuses to send his child to school will be made to face the full wrath of the law,”Alhaji Kaka-Shehu Lawan, the Borno State Attorney General/Commissioner of Justice said.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri that government was already offering parents several incentives to encourage them to send their children to schools.

The commissioner noted that it was lamentable that some parents still refused to send their children to school in spite of the incentives.

“The government has directed the Borno State Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to mobilise all children of school age to be enrolled in schools.

“It has also invested heavily in constructing new schools and renovating those vandalised by Boko Haram terrorists in the course of the insurgency, so as to provide conducive atmosphere for learning”.

Lawan said that government had also introduced free school bus services and other incentives to attract children back to schools.

“Government has procured 150 luxury buses to provide free ride to school children in Maiduguri and communities liberated from the terrorists by the military.

“It has also introduced the provision of free meals, school uniform and books in schools as part of the incentives to retain students in schools.

“The governor is also looking at the possibilities of introducing cash incentives to parents to ensure retention of children in schools,” the commissioner added.

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