Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, National President, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has sympathised with students over the prolonged strike by the union.
Osodeke said this while reacting to the N34 billion released by the Federal Government for payment of minimum wage consequential adjustment.
Recall that ASUU has been on strike since Feb. 14 over improved welfare packages, better working conditions, and the implementation of various labour agreements signed with the Federal Government between 2009 and 2020.
He said the students were suffering for Nigeria’s future and education system.
Osodeke told NAN that the students were not being punished but paying the price to ensure that Nigeria had a good education system.
“ASUU sympathises with them, and we believe that with what is going on, if we continue with the struggle, we will have an education system where Nigerian students will have the same lecture rooms with their foreign counterparts,” Osodeke said.
The ASUU president said there was no need to call off the strike when the Federal Government had not attended to their demands.
He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to do the needful as the N34 billion released was not part of their demands.
The Chairman, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Abuja Municipal Area Council chapter, Jibrin Habiba, noted how government policies affect the growth of private schools in Nigeria.
She added that her association was doing everything possible to ensure private schools remained alive.
Speaking with selected journalists during the sideline of induction of new members of the association, Jibrin said, “Private schools in Nigeria have helped in so many dimensions. Teachers have never gone on strike. Despite the limited resources, the schools ensure that teachers are well catered for. Children are also provided with a conducive environment where they can be comfortable with learning
“Some government policies have affected private schools in Nigeria, in the area of multiple taxations, area of lack of grants, area of lack of social facilities such as good roads and water. These are some of the challenges.
“We need government to soft pedal in the areas of multiple taxations, we need them in the area of grants, if we are given opportunities to access grants, we will do tremendously well because education is capital intensive. It is a long term investment.
“Finances are the hurdles, we need education banks that schools can have access to.”
“It is our goal to improve our value propositions and delivery to the Education Sector.”
Jibrin also charged the inductees to remain relevant by belonging to and rendering service at the various wards and area council chapters of the Association.
“I, therefore, urge both the states and the Federal Government to ensure that our children are properly protected in our various schools to go about their academics safely. This calls for government security operatives to collaborate with the internal security arrangements in schools for effective monitoring around schools.”
“However, we do not doubt the ongoing concerted efforts of the Federal Government and state governments through our security apparatus to stem the tide of insecurity. We believe that more efforts and consistency on the part of the government as regards insecurity will eventually yield a positive outcome.
“Governments at various levels should take it further by creating an environment where children will not only feel safe and happy to learn but also support their mental well-being.”
The husband of one of the teachers slain in Tuesday’s mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, has reportedly died of a heart attack.
Joe Garcia was the husband of Irma Garcia, who taught for 23 years at Robb Elementary School.
Mrs Garcia was one of two teachers killed by a teenage gunman in the shooting that left 21 people dead – including 19 children.
The couple – who were married for 24 years – are survived by four children.
By Thursday night, an online fundraiser for the Garcia family had raised nearly $1.6m (£1.3m) out of an initial modest goal of $10,000.
The GoFundMe page said it was being organised by Mrs Garcia’s cousin, Debra Austin, who wrote: “I truly believe Joe died of a broken heart.”
On Twitter, a nephew of Mrs Garcia, John Martinez, said that Mr Garcia had “passed away due to grief” in the wake of his wife’s murder.
A local Fox affiliate has reported that Mr Garcia died of a heart attack.
The Garcias leave behind four children – two boys and two girls – ranging from 12 to 23 years old.
In the aftermath of the deadly shooting in Uvalde, Mr Martinez told the New York Times that Mrs Garcia was found by officers “embracing children in her arms pretty much until her last breath”.
“She sacrificed herself protecting the kids in her classroom,” he wrote on a fundraising page. “She was a hero”.
Mrs Garcia and the other teacher killed in the shooting, Eva Mireles, had been teaching together for five years and had more than 40 years of experience between them.
Officials say 18-year-old gunman entered Robb Elementary School in small town of Uvalde, killing 21.
Women react outside a civic centre where students had been transported from Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, Texas, May 24 [Marco Bello/Reuters]
A teenage gunman has killed at least 19 children and two adults at a primary school in the US state of Texas, officials said, in the deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade and the latest gruesome moment for a country scarred by a string of mass shootings.
Governor Greg Abbott said one of the two adults killed was a teacher.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, Abbott said the 18-year-old gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a small community about 80km (50 miles) west of San Antonio.
Abbott said the gunman – identified as Salvador Ramos, a resident of Uvalde – was killed, apparently by police officers responding to the scene.
“It is believed that he abandoned his vehicle and entered into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde with a handgun and he may have also had a rifle, but that is not yet confirmed,” the governor said.
“Texans across the state are grieving for the victims of this senseless crime and for the community of Uvalde,” he added.
After confusing early accounts of the death toll, the state attorney general’s office in an official statement put the tally of lives lost at 18 children and two adults, including the gunman. A Texas DPS spokesperson later told CNN that 19 school children and two adults were killed, not counting the shooter.
Speaking from the White House hours later, a visibly shaken President Joe Biden urged people in the US to stand up to the country’s politically powerful gun lobby, which he blamed for blocking enactment of tougher firearms safety laws.
Biden ordered flags flown at half-staff daily until sunset on Saturday in observance of the tragedy.
“As a nation, we have to ask, ‘When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?’” Biden said on national television, suggesting reinstating a ban on assault-style weapons and other “common sense gun laws.”
Gun violence has been a problem across the US for decades, drawing condemnation and calls for tougher restrictions, especially in the aftermath of mass shootings at schools.
There were 19,350 firearm homicides in the US in 2020, up nearly 35 percent compared with 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest data.
The country has seen 212 mass shootings so far this year, according to a tally by the Gun Violence Archive, a US non-profit that defines a mass shooting as any incident in which four or more people are shot or killed, not including the attacker.
The shooting in Uvalde drew condemnation and sorrow on social media, as well as renewed calls for action to stem gun violence in the US.
“We live in a society where power absolutely refuses to protect our children. How many more kids have to die before power makes radical changes to these horrific conditions?” US author and professor Ibram X Kendi wrote on Twitter.
“We are a broken nation, full of violence. It’s just sickening to think that kids who went to school this morning will not come back home tonight,” said University of Pennsylvania professor Anthea Butler.
The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) tweetedthat “all district and campus activities, after-school programs, and events are canceled” following the deadly attack.
The US administration has denounced mass shootings as a “national embarrassment” and promised to enact stricter gun regulations. But Biden faces an uphill battle against gun lobby groups and legislators who are opposed to more restrictive gun laws.
Last month, Biden unveiled a new US Department of Justice rule that he said would crack down on the prevalence of so-called “ghost guns” – privately-made firearms without serial numbers that law enforcement agencies find at crime scenes. At the same time, he urged Congress “to do its job” and pass budget allocations and other legislation to reduce gun crime.
There were 61 “active shooter” incidents in the US in 2021, according to newly released FBI data – a 52 percent increase from the previous year and the highest on record.
In times past, we read about children taking guns to school and shooting their teachers and, or other students to death. Such scenarios took place in the western hemisphere, and, a vast majority of Africans thought it was western culture, far removed from Africa. But the truth is that we were hiding from reality, like the proverbial ostrich that hides its head in the sand, in an attempt to hide himself from the prying eyes of the public. In today’s Africa, violence in school, has become the bane of many a school administrator. What is responsible for this trend? How do we nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand? What role do parents play in this?
A child is the product of a family. The family is the product of a community. The community is the product of a society. Upon this tripod, we all stand. If one leg of the tripod is faulty, the broth will spill over; in this case, the upbringing or nurturing of the child, will be faulty but before we give the dog a bad name in order to hang it, let us ask ourselves this question: Are we completely free of blame?
Let us look at the family. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, every child has that ‘Belonginess need,’ and, that simply means that every child wants to belong to a group, where s/he will be accepted. A cohesive family, keeps each child protected, loved and warm.
A child whose belonginess need is not fulfilled, will feel rejected. If this feeling is not assuaged early enough, the child will look for an escape route. S/he either withdraws or becomes a bully. According to Verywell family this category of bullies, “use components of bullying as a self-preservation tool.”
Again, there is the loner in school; s/he is withdrawn, and, would hardly mix with other students. More than half the time, the root cause of the problem, is rejection at home. Make no mistake about it, most parents are guilty of rejecting their children at home. They leave the bulk of the upbringing of their children, to the school authority, not realizing that there is very little the school can do without the parents lending a helping hand.
The bully and the loner are actually children who are begging to be loved. The teacher who shows a little love, some understanding, and is willing to spend some time with either of the above mentioned children, will become their hero.
Parents who refuse to listen to the complaints of their children, are wittingly rejecting those children. When these children begin to resent being rejected, they display their response to the negative stimulus in very strong terms or actions. This display or response is what the writer calls the Rejection-Reaction Syndrome (SSR).
“Ronald Rohner of the University of Connecticut carried out an analysis of over 36 studies about the effects of parental rejection on about 10,000 participants. He explains that in half of a century of international research, no other childhood experience has been proven to have such a strong and consistent effect on the personality of a child as that of rejection, especially by their parents.” – (Curious Mind Magazine).
The same magazine reports. “Studies show that the same parts of the brain that activate when a person is experiencing physical pain are also triggered when a child feels rejected. But rejection is worse than emotional pain for people can psychologically re-live the emotional pain of rejection for many years.”
The above go to prove that parental rejection creates a void that nothing else can fill. A fortunate child who has been rejected, may be adopted by another family, and, may eventually, over the years, come to acquire that feeling of belonginess. Then, the healing process begins. For the not-so-fortunate child, an understanding spouse may be the therapy and medicine needed to heal the “patient.”
It is sad to note however, that some rejected children never find solace. This is responsible for the high rate of suicide, among schooling children, and young adults. According to Curious Mind Magazine, “When children feel rejected by their parents, they tend to become more anxious and insecure. Over time, they start to have low self-esteem, chronic self-doubt and depression. They even develop hostility and aggression toward others.”
In addition, we see undergraduates in universities in Nigeria, and elsewhere in Africa, who go to school, looking to belong to a “group” of men or women, just so they can “belong,” in other words, feel accepted. These groups are, to mention but a few, the Pirate Confraternity, the Black Axe Confraternity, and the Eiye Confraternity etc for boys; and, can you believe it? There is the Black Bra and the Daughters of Jezebel amongst others, for young women.
This phenomenon has crept through the back door into Nigeria’s primary schools. Not too long ago, the Lagos State police Command paraded a group of primary school children, who were alleged to be cult members. They actually confessed to being members of a local cult group. Their captain and initiator, was a girl in her early teens.
Recently too, a group of under 10 year old children were spotted in Benin City, the capital of Edo State in South-South Nigeria. When asked what they were looking for, they chorused that they had come in search of someone, who can introduce them to the Yahoo plus (advance fee fraud) business, so that they can make easy money.
Some 40 years ago, we had fathers who would tell their sons never to engage in stealing or fraudulent practices. Mothers would cry, when they saw their sons making friends with some youngsters, with shady characters. But many a father in Nigeria today, have become baby fathers rather than husbands. Some of the mothers of these children, call their men baby fathers or “sperm donors.” In other situations, the baby fathers just won’t do anything to contribute toward the upbringing of the child.
When this happens, the child may resort to bearing the surname of his mother, rather than the surname of his father. This is the first sign of the Rejection-Reaction Syndrome (SSR). If the problem is not nipped in the bud immediately, it could lead to bullying, suicidal thoughts, or the child may actually resort to crime. A child once told his father, “I will drag your name in the mud.” That is SSR in display. The boy has revolted against his father!
For a child to become a confident adult, the child must have had his Physiological Needs satisfied. This stage is a very vital stage in life because, this is when the child is helpless, and would need family members to help change his diapers, cuddle him, sing lullabies for him, keep him warm and protect him.
Such a child would not find it difficult to secure his Safety Needs. Because he understands what family is, he will equally understand what team spirit is, and can cope with the demands of work life, personal security, health and property.
His success at home and at work, gives him a Sense of Belonging in the community and larger society. Thus, he cannot become a societal misfit, but rather, a functional citizen.
The realisation of the previous three needs, will no doubt, boost his Self Esteem. A young adult with a good self esteem, does not reject parental or organisational authority and control, cannot easily develop suicidal thoughts, and will not readily cause harm to others.
Self Esteem is the father of Self Actualisation. Self actualisation is at the apex of Maslow’s model because, it means that, anybody who is self actualised, has come to a full realization of his potentials, and can reach for the sky. That is why you see some school drop outs later becoming multi-millionaires, and others becoming inventors and scientists. When they were younger, they did not actually realise their potential. But when they had become more mature, they became aware of their hidden strengths, and, explored it to the fullest degree.
Be that as it may, there is no replacement for a firm and loving father. A supporting mother, and, a warm circle of siblings. Where these three sets of people are present, the schooling child is bound to find school more interesting, and would not like to be associated with the Rejection-Reaction Syndrome.
Let parents therefore get closer to their children. Especially, is it important that fathers play the role of home-teacher and mentor to their children. It has been scientifically proven that rejection by fathers, is more devastating to the child than that of mothers. Parents should combine their physical, mental and other resources, to help their children become Self Actualised.
٭Anthony Oboghene Ororho is an educator, author and administrator. He currently serves as the Chairman, Board of Fellows, Institute of Educational Leadership Practitioners of Nigeria (IELPN).
H.R.M Major Gen. Felix Mujakperuo (rtd), Orhue I, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom
There are two main historical stages (Movements) of the Okpe people; the first stage involved the descents and migration of the Okpe predecessors from Ife to an unspecified territory in the present day Benin province.
The second stage originated from the first and ends with the Okpes occupation of two local government areas of Okpe and Sapele with their ancestral home at Orerokpe.
Verifiable oral tradition traces the origin of the Okpe descendants to two sources; the first was that Okpe ancestors and predecessors were descendants of a man called Urhobo from Bini. The other tradition claims that the Okpe descendants are of an ancient ruler in Ife, that due to the harsh treatment of the rulers of Ife, a prince and his brothers with their families decided to migrate southward of the Ife kingdom where they came in contact with the Bini kingdom, the prince explained their plight to the then Oba of Benin who asked them to further move south of his kingdom.
It should be noted that the second oral tradition was more clearer, Historians and traditional custodian were able to reconcile this tradition with the migration of a certain princely royalty called Prince Igboze who was one of the sons of the Oba of Benin in about the second half of the seventeenth century who noticed the decline of the Benin Empire and fearing that the kingdom would disintegrate into civil strife obtain the title of Ovie (king) from his second cousin Oba Ahenzae of Benin who was then on the throne (1640-1661).
He left Benin Empire in the middle of the seventeenth century with his wives, family, and a number of followers (slaves) and set out southwards from Benin. He arrived at his new territory of Orere-Olomu. After a decade or so, when Igboze’s new kingdom was well established, he was later visited by an Ibo man called Olomu. Olomu lived with Igboze for a long time and succeeded in winning his confidence to such an extent that Igboze made him his heir. Igboze, who had obtained the royal title of Ovie (king) to rule his new territory was at the height of his power when he died. Upon Igboze’s death, Olomu took the title of Ovie. This caused a rift, because Igboze’s son, called Okpe, who quarreled with Olomu about who should succeed his father as king. This succession dispute between Olomu and Okpe compelled Okpe and his followers to leave the territory of Orere-Olomu and settled in the Agbarho quarters of the Isoko Okpe. Okpe lived and died in Isoko Okpe. Before his death, Okpe had four sons: Orhue, Orhoro, Evwreke and Esezi in order of seniority, which later became the four ruling houses of Okpe kingdom.
Orhue the eldest is a hunter by profession who goes in search of games far and wide and in so doing always camped in Agbarho town of Ehwerhe on further search for games he crossed a stream which shares boundary with Agbarho and discovered the present territory called Orerokpe. He considered this territory very fertile and good for games, the land was also vast and was considered very well for settlement, and he planted an Oghriki tree (Newbouldia) near the present Adene-Okpe as a mark of its foundation and ownership. He then returned to inform his other brothers Orhoro, Evwreke and Esezi about this new territory and how the place would be good for habitation, Orhue was able to convince his other brothers and they all including their wives, children, slaves and domestic animals immigrated to this new territory called Orerokpe, this was about the 17th century. Orhue, his brothers and all their families including their slaves settled in Oreokpe and thus began the Okpe dynasty.
TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN OKPE KINGDOM The illustrious kingdom of Okpe as history recalls had four sons: Orhue, Orhoro, Evwreke and Esezi. These four Okpe sons became the ruling houses which decided to adopt a rotational system to produce a ruler for the kingdom. This has helped to stabilize peace and social equality in the kingdom till date.
The first Orodje of Okpe was from the ruling house of Esezi, although Orhue was the eldest he was too old and fragile to rule, moreover there were quarrel between the two other brothers Orhoro and Evwreke, leaving the youngest Esezi who was more acceptable to be crowned the Orodje in 1770 and he ruled for 9 years (1770-1779). His reign was characterized by his despotic life style, history record such despotism as asking some of his subjects to hold a falling tree which of course kills them and asking some to break iron bars with their bare hands failure to do so resulted in killing, he was a ruler who violated the rights of his people and did only what pleases him. His despotism got to a stage where he was killed by his own people.
After the tragic death of Esezi the 1st, civil war broke out in the kingdom, succession dispute between Chief Odorume of Orhue house and Chief Oghwere of Orhoro house, other prominent Chiefs like Eruohwo and Ogoni both from Evwreke house complicated the issue by throwing in their hats in the circle, indicating interest in the kingship, what immediately followed was chaos leading to mass killings and assassination of Chiefs and the fall and disintegration of the town called Orerokpe. The town was set on fire, and a consuming blaze swept throughout the city of Orerokpe. There was bloodshed and disunity between the various ruling houses. The clarion call to your tents O Israel became the order of the day, where near kinsmen clung together for guided settlement and protection of kinsmen began to move further hinterlands away from the desolated capital to form new settlements of towns and villages, and thus began a period of 166 years of interregnum in Okpe kingdom.
The assassination of Esezi the first in 1779 and the revolution that followed prompted a split in the family and the migration of the four ruling houses to form different towns and villages throughout Okpe Kingdom. Okpe Kingdom remained without a king for 166 years after the assassination of Esezi the first. The kingdom was under the leadership of political representatives from the four ruling houses until the selection of H.R.M. Esezi II in 1945. In 1945 the Okpe Chiefs came together and took stock of their past and institutionalize a water tight form of rulership where it would be extremely difficult for the king to unilaterally subject his people to untold hardship.
The traditional institution in Okpe kingdom was then institutionalized as follows:
The Udogun-Okpe: This is the highest organ of government comprising the Orodje-in-council, the Otota (spokesman) the Ekakuros (Chiefs).
Okpe Traditional Council: This is a creation by law through the State Government to make rules and regulations for the good governance of the Okpe people. It consists of the Orodje of Okpe as Chairman, Unu Okpe (spokesman), Okpako-Ekakuro and twenty six Ekakuro appointed by the Orodje from the Four Ruling houses. The chairmen of Okpe and Sapele Local Government Councils.
Okpe Assembly: This is an assembly of representatives of all Okpe people. It is through the Okpe Assembly that decisions of Udogun are communicated to the Okpe people. It consists of the Orodje of Okpe as Chairman, all Udogun-Okpe members, Ehovwore-Okpe (Female Chiefs), representatives of the thirteen (13) Okpe districts or village groups. Representatives of Okpe institutional stakeholders as recognized by Udogun-Okpe such as the Okpe Union.
The Orodje presides over all meetings of these institutions in Okpe. In his absence, the Unu Okpe (spokesman) presides over meetings of the Udogun, but whatever decisions reached are brought to the Orodje for his assent. The above organs represent the system of administration in Okpe Kingdom. The current Orodje of Okpe kingdom is H.R.M Major-General Felix Mujakperuo (Rtd) Orhue I Orodje of Okpe is the fourth to have ascended the throne on July 29, 2006; he is from the Orhue ruling house.
For administrative and effective purposes, the Okpe kingdom has been divided into 13 districts. These districts consist approximately of about 200 towns and villages. The districts are: Aghalokpe, Amukpe, Arhagba, Elume, Mereje, Orerokpe, Oha, Ozue (Okokporo), Sapele, Ughoton, Ugolo, and Ugborhe. These administrative districts are headed by district heads who are senior Ekakuro (Chiefs) appointed by the Orodje. The Okpe kingdom has more than 200 towns and villages and its the most populous among the Urhobo kingdom.
The Okpe kingdom has two local government areas in Delta State which are: Okpe and Sapele L.G.A.
Okpe kingdom is geographically surrounded by five local government areas, which are: Warri South, Uvwie, Ughelli North, Ethiope East and Ethiope West L.G.As.
The Okpe kingdom has geographical boundaries with: Agbon kingdom, to the North, Agbarho kingdom and Uvwie kingdoms to the South. While the communities of Oghara, Mosogar, Jesse are to the West and East. The kingdom is clearly separated by rivers and waterways from other communities of Itsekiri, Oghara, Mosogar and Idjerhe (Jesse), like the River Ethiopia demarcating Sapele from Oghara, Mosogar, Jesse and other Itsekiri communities.
Isaac Esezi Otomewo B.A (History) Ibadan, M.A. (Peace & Conflict Studies) Ibadan
One-third of teachers experienced at least one incident of verbal harassment or threat of violence from students during the first full pandemic school year, and 14 percent were physically attacked, a new survey finds.
Teachers and other educators also reported receiving verbal threats from parents, colleagues, and administrators over the course of the 2020-21 school year, according to the study done by a task force of the American Psychological Association. The researchers surveyed a national sample of almost 15,000 teachers, administrators, school psychologists, and other school staff, like paraprofessionals.
In addition to teachers, 15 percent of administrators reported an instance of physical violence, as did 18 percent of school psychologists or social workers and 22 percent of school staff, a category that encompasses paraprofessionals, instructional aides, and school resource officers. Physical violence was defined in the survey as a physical attack or having objects being thrown or used as weapons. null
Student physical violence occurred most commonly in pre-K through 6th grade.
Vice chancellor, Buckingham University, United Kingdom, Prof. James Tooley, has discountenanced claims that Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children.
Prof. James Tooley
According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Nigeria has 10.5 million out-of- school children – the highest in the world. However, Tooley said the figure is not likely accurate based on previous research he had conducted in Lagos.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion with the theme: “Out of school children: Who should do what,” organised by the Global School Forum (GSF) in conjunction with Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED) in Abuja, the Professor of Education Policy and Research said many of the children not accounted for in public and recognised private primary schools could be found in low-cost private schools serving the poor.
Tooley is set to prove or disprove his hypothesis in a study he said he had got funding to conduct in northern and eastern Nigeria.
“There is lot of data out there that suggests Nigeria has a really big problem. It is said that Nigeria has the largest number of out-of-school children in the world. I am not sure it is true. The statistics are based on number of returns to government from registered schools without considering children in low cost private schools,” he said.
Tooley said he was confident the study would yield similar results to the one he did in Lagos about 22 years ago that showed that many of the 30- 35 per cent of children not attending school in Lagos back then were in low cost private schools.
He said that study reduced the number of out-of-school children in Lagos to four to five per cent.
“Twenty-two years ago it was said that 30-35 per cent of children in Lagos state were out of school. The more I went into the poor areas of Lagos, I could not see out-of-school children; I saw hundreds of children in unregistered schools.
“The official figure of out-of-school children for the north and the east is very high. But it was the same situation when I visited Sokoto. As I went into the poorer areas is Sokoto, there are many low-cost private schools in these communities. And there are more girls attending these schools than boys.
“We want to find out for sure. I may be wrong; it is a hypothesis but the situation in Sokoto seems to be the same as Lagos,” he said.
Even if his hypothesis is disproved, Tooley said the government could tackle the out-of-school crisis by recognising low cost private schools as avenue to mop up children, especially as research had also shown that learning takes place in such school more than public-funded schools.
Tooley said the phenomenon of the poor patronising low-cost private schools for their wards was not limited to Nigeria, but was the case in Ghana, Kenya, India, Pakistan and other countries as well.
“It is not just happening in Lagos. It is the same in Kampala, Pakistan, India, and Accra – all over the global south. There are many other studies after mine that have looked at this phenomenon. Poor parents can spend 10 per cent of their total income on school fees for the whole family and there are low-cost schools serving these families,” he said.
In his remarks, President of AFED, Mr. Orji Emmanuel, urged government to recognise the role low cost private schools play, rather than demonise them. He said they should be regarded as a homegrown solution to a local problem.
Emmanuel further added that AFED would not stop its drive to drastically reduce the number of out-of-school children, using the medium to invite major players to be a part of the association‘s third African Education Conference holding between June 15 and 16 in Abuja.
Nasarawa State Education Commissioner, Hajiya Fatu Sabo, urged Tooley to choose her state as one of those to be studied in northern Nigeria, promising the Governor Abdullahi Sule-led administration’s cooperation to make the study a success.
Impact and Innovation Manager for GSF, Habib Kolade, said the Foundation was ready to contribute its quota to addressing the problems of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
Afro-Global Education Deliveries 