An NGO, Human Development Initiatives (HDI) on Saturday urged parents and guardians in Ibeju Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos to ensure that their children and wards complete their basic education.
The NGO’s Senior Programme Officer, Ms. Bolanle Dare said at a Universal Basic Education Act 2004 sensitisation programme in Lagos, that children should be encouraged to complete their basic education.
According to Dare, parents should ensure that their children go to school and complete their education before engaging in any trade or vocations of their choices.
“Every child that has reached school age in your community has to go to school, parents should make sure that they feed their children well before going to school.
”All the necessary tools needed for such a child to take to school must be provided by the parent. Instead of borrowing to stage a party, that money should be channeled to the child’s education.
“Today, we are talking about compulsory basic education, which is free in Lagos State, though some people thought it is not totally free because there are still some expenses borne by the parents, such as bag, uniform, shoes.
“Government cannot do it alone.The State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Ministry of Education, and others are going to work together to make sure that free education works in Lagos,” she said.
Dare said that the NGO was in Ibeju Lekki communities to educate stakeholders on
SUBEB 2018 action plan and provide the participants adequate information on the plan.
She said the NGO would want people to help it monitor projects currently being handled by contractors in different primary schools, to prevent the use of substandard materials.
The NGO’s Project Manager, Mr Johnson Ibidapo said that the organisation had taught people on how to enroll their children in school as well as encourage their neighbors to do same.
Ibidapo said everybody must ensure that children of school age must be in school.
“Apart from raising their own children, they should also help to appeal to out -of -school children’s parents to make sure that the children are back to school.
“Stakeholders in the education sector are being encouraged to get involved in tracking and monitoring the basic educational projects in Lagos.
“Our goal is to ensure that basic education goods and services get delivered to the school, not just in the right quality, but also in the appropriate auditing of furniture delivered to schools.
“They should be able to ask contractors questions about the ongoing construction. We are training them to be bold,” he said.
Chief Muse Adele, the Baale of Oke Aje, Ogogoro in Ibeju-Lekki commended the NGO for the initiative , adding that the projects would increase the number of children returning to school in the state.
Adele urged the Lagos State Government to strengthen access to UBE in the state to encourage more pupils enrol in primary school.
Mr Afolorunsho Agbeni, a Community Development Committee official in the community, also appealed to the state government to provide more teachers in schools.
Agbeni noted that many primary schools in the area are currently in dire need of more teachers, as many school teachers had retired.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that primary schools head teachers, parents, community development committees in in Ibeju-Lekki, and education stakeholders in the SUBEB attended the programme.
