Buhari raises alarm over ₦80 levy on out-of-school kids

Recent data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has shown that Nigeria has 20 million out-of-school children between the ages of 6 and 18, the highest figure globally alongside India and Pakistan.

During an interview with Channels Television, Maryam Uwais, Special Adviser to President Buhari on Social Investments, attributed the rising figure to the country's population growth.

She also stated that some children in Northern Nigeria were out of school due to an ₦80 levy imposed on parents.

“I will give you an example; I was in one State, I won’t tell you the State, but it is a northern state, I saw 13 children playing, and I asked them, ‘Why aren’t you in school? They gave different things, and they all had aspirations as young children. They said they aren’t in school because of ₦80 as Parent Levy or something like that."

She added that such hidden levies must be identified and tackled by state governments to improve the ability of children to attend school.