Government to imprison parents who don't send children to school

The Bayelsa State government has promised to crack down on parents in the state who refuse to send their children to school to acquire formal education.

The state's Commissioner for Education, Jonathan Obuebite, made this disclosure after Governor Seriake Dickson signed the Compulsory Primary and Secondary Education Law into law during the State Executive Council meeting on Thursday, February 22, 2018.

According to Obuebite, parents are expected to take advantage of the government's dedication towards education in the state and ensure that their children get the chance at a proper education.

He warned that the parents or guardians of any child, of school age, seen loitering or hawking during school hours would be dealt with in accordance with the new law.

He said, "Today, we have quality infrastructure and facilities across our schools in every local government area. We feel it is important to have this law to protect that investment.

"The law will be fully implemented. We want to thank Governor Dickson for his assent and members of the State Assembly for passing it into law. Clearly the law is to demonstrate our commitment to education in the state."

Nigeria has 10.7 million children out of school

Nigeria has 10.5 million out-of-school children, the highest in the world.

While the government blames the crisis on cultural factors, critics believe the failure in the education system is due to a lack of government funding.