Headlines
Early Marriage: Kano to ban parents from marrying off schoolgirls
Nasiru Yusuf
Chairman of the Kano State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Danlami Hayyo says the state would soon enact a law that will stop parents from marrying off their daughters before completing secondary education.
Dr. Hayyo disclosed this on Tuesday during a dissemination of research findings on impact of violence in schools on girls’ education in Northern Nigeria organized by SUBEB in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The SUBEB Chairman said the law if introduced will help to increase the literacy level among female children in the state.
According to him, “It is supposed to have been put in place long ago because normally, most of our children especially girls at the primary or junior secondary school level in some areas in Kano state get married before they finished the school.
“So that is the reason why the government wants to impose a law that every child most especially the girls must finish senior secondary school before marriage at least to improve or increase the literacy rate in the state.They go into marriage and have problems because they didn’t go to school.”
He explained that the law will help in producing female professionals in different aspects of human endeavor.
“If that is done, it will help produce female children in all field of work who will take charge where their services is needed. It will also bridge gaps where women in some cases needs service of their women folks but left with no option than to be attended to by their male counterparts,” he said.
Dr. Hayyo said many parents often withdraw their children from private schools to public schools in the state to benefit from the free and compulsory education put in place by the government.
Presenting the research findings, a member of the team, Hadiza Umar said 60% out of 13.2 million out-of-school children in the country were girls from Northern Nigeria while attributing the cause to various forms of violence against them while in the school.
Mrs Umar further said corporal punishment and emotional violence are top among the factors that discourages girls from going to school.
On his part, UNICEF Chief Field Officer, Kano Office, Maulid Warfa called for zero tolerance to any form of violence on children either in schools or in the larger society.
Warfa, represented by the Senior Education Manager, Michael Banda called on the state government to act by putting in place a legal system that will penalize violence against children.
“The findings today, have been outstanding particularly that it shows that violence in schools is almost a norm, meaning that it is been accepted by teachers and by the learners. That corporal punishment and others forms of punishment are a norm and that is the very beginning of our struggle to ensure that norm is no longer a norm,” he said.
“For UNICEF, we are going to take measures to ensure that teachers are well grounded to understand that there are alternative ways to discipline a child without resort to corporal punishment or any other form of physical or psychological punishment to children.
“For UNICEF, we take a stand that there should be zero tolerance to any form of violence to children be it in schools or communities,” Mr Warfa emphasised.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The government has introduced new guidelines for fee increment.
Kano State Government has prohibited private and voluntary schools from arbitrarily increasing fees and forcing parents to purchase materials directly from the schools.
KANO FOCUS reports that Executive Secretary of the Kano State Private and Voluntary Institution’s Board( KSPVIB,) Comrade Baba Abubakar Umar, gave the warning in an interview with journalists.
The Executive Secretary said that some schools have been taking advantage of parents through hidden charges and exorbitant fees.
He said to address this issue, the board has introduced new guidelines.
According to him, “Schools must convene a Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) meeting to discuss any fee increments”.
He also stated that school must then write to the board seeking approval for the increase, attaching the attendance sheet from the PTA meeting.
He added that”At least two-thirds of parents must be present at the PTA meeting”
Comrade Abubakar dated that, the board has received complaints from parents who were charged excessive fees or amounts different from what was initially agreed upon.
He therefore disclosed that despite the current economic situation, schools must be realistic and fair in their charges.
“The board will work with relevant authorities to prosecute schools that operate illegally or evade taxes”
He however maintained that the board is committed to ensuring that schools provide safe learning environments and employ qualified teachers.
“Parents are encouraged to report any schools with substandard teaching or unsafe conditions”
Comrade Abubakar emphasised that, new census forms will be distributed to private and voluntary schools to ensure accurate data collection and effective monitoring. Saying that the board remains open to dialogue and discussions with schools willing to comply with the law.
He commended Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for his commitment to education, allocating 30% of the state’s budget to the sector and declaring a state of emergency.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has reported that two people have died and two others were injured following the collapse of a two-storey building in Noman’s Land, Fagge Local Government Area of Kano.
KANO FOCUS reports that the NEMA Coordinator, Kano Territorial Officer, Dr. Nuraddeen Abdullahi, who confirmed the incident on Thursday, said the agency received a distress call around 2:00 a.m. from a Good Samaritan about the building collapse.
Dr. Abdullahi stated, “The agency received a distress call today at about 2:00 a.m. from a Good Samaritan that a two-storey building collapsed in Noman’s Land Quarters, Kano.”
He further said, “Upon receiving the information, we quickly dispatched our rescue team to the scene.”
Dr. Abdullahi added, “Four persons were rescued by our team—a husband, wife, and two children. Unfortunately, the two children were confirmed dead, while the couple were rushed to the Armed Forces Specialist Hospital, Kano, for treatment.”
The NEMA Coordinator also noted that search and rescue operations were still ongoing to find any persons trapped in the building.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano students from Kano are the top applicants of the student loan scheme, data from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund has revealed.
KANO FOCUS reports that NELFUND, in a data chart posted via its official X handle, @nelfnigeria on Friday, highlighted the number of applicants per state of origin.
According to the data chart, students originally from Kano State topped the list of applicants with 17,122 applicants; Borno followed suit with 13,798 applicants while Benue had 11,754 applicants. The three states were the only states with over 11, 000 applicants.
The implementation of the student loan scheme is President Bola Tinubu’s flagship project in the education sector.
Barely a month after his inauguration as president, Tinubu signed the Access to Higher Education Act, which creates a legal framework for granting loans to indigent or low-income Nigerians to facilitate the payment of their fees in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The law, reenacted earlier this year, created the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
NELFUND is saddled with the responsibility of handling all loan requests, grants, disbursement, and recovery.
The fund, according to the act, is to be funded from multiple streams and will engage in other productive activities.
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