SIR: “In a few weeks from now, we shall be done with the junior secondary school certificate examination, and from then on, I am done with Western education.” The foregoing was uttered to my hearing in the Hausa language by some junior secondary school students in the Bauchi metropolis recently.
I found the statement to be disturbing. It affirms what is generally known about Bauchi State as being one of the states in the country with a high rate of out-of-school children.
Of course, some critics blame the situation on the decade-long insurgency in the Northeast. Others locate the root cause in parents’ lackadaisical attitude in enrolling the children in school just as political opponents of the government accuse it of not providing the needed atmosphere for learning. Whatever the situation is, the state government must be at its feet to make sure things are done well. More than that, the government must feel, not only duty bound to encourage our children to stay in school, but reward them when they excel.
Take the recent case of the students who represented the state in a national competition and came top among the participating states. Whereas the students have been celebrated by many concerned individuals in Bauchi State and beyond, the state government is yet to either acknowledge or reward the lads.
These students from Government College (Special School) Toro who participated in the recent National Inter-secondary Schools Quiz competition organized by the Raw Materials Research and Development Council and came out first deserves to be recognized and celebrated, especially as they are products of public schools as against the elitist private schools.
Currently, Bauchi State is in a dangerous situation as its youth routinely quit education for such anti-social acts like Sara Suka. The state government must be reminded that giving recognition and even awarding scholarships is crucial to encouraging children to see the light in the path of their education. Rewarding them with scholarships stands to draw the attention of the wayward to education and encourage those already in the system to put in more effort.
Gone are the days in Bauchi when international scholarships were given to the best brains many of whom are now professionals in their respective careers.
•Umar Sani Yakubu,
saniumaryakubu@gmail.com.