Civil Societies task govt on Child Rights Act implementation

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the country have urged governments at all levels to demonstrate sincerity and transparency in the implementation of the Child Rights Act.

Osita Osemene made the call in Abuja on Wednesday, May 20, on behalf of a coalition of the CSOs at the ongoing three-day National Workshop on Improving Governance and Accountability in Basic Education.

The workshop, which was organised by USAID, Nigeria, brought together no fewer than 200 participants from various civil society organisations in the education sector.

Osemene of Patriotic Citizen Initiative said that there were many policy documents that indicated the implementation of the law but that there was nothing physical on ground as many community schools still lacked education infrastructure.

He said that community members should be sensitised to how to demand their rights and ensure that they held government accountable to their responsibilities.

He stated that to boost the education sector in the country, proper monitoring and evaluation mechanisms should be put in place to investigate and check loopholes during implementation.

A representative of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA), Olusoji Adams, said that communities should be sensitised to sense of ownership of infrastructural developments provided for them.

On access to UBE funds by state governors, he said that defaulting states should be sanctioned, adding that education should be the priority of every state government.

"There should be proper sensitisation of community members to sense of ownership and importance of education, because some parents neglect the fact that their kids need education.

"There should be continuous advocacy and media involvement; qualified teachers should also be employed at the community level,’’ he said.

The Child Rights Act stipulates that every child has the right to free, compulsory and universal basic education and it shall be the duty of the government to provide such education.

It also makes it compulsory for every parent or guardian to ensure that his child or ward attends and completes his primary and junior secondary school.