The Abuja Municipal Area Council ( AMAC ) has appealed to parents and guardians to enroll their children and wards in school, saying that education was the best legacy we can bequeath on children.
Mrs Dinatu Tukura, Head of Department Education, AMAC made the appeal in an interview on Tuesday in Abuja.
She said that educating them was the only key to unlock their future inheritance, and boost the development of the country.
The official noted that quite a number of children, who were supposed to be in schools, were still seen roaming the street of Abuja.
Tukura also said that some had been seen in their homes playing and involving themselves in different child labour, which according to her is detrimental to their future.
“We are still asking and begging parents to register their children and wards in schools because that is the inheritance we can give them.
“When we go out to different community we still see children that are of school age not in school, we have been going from community to community to create awareness that children should be enrolled in schools
She, however, commended Alhaji Abdulahi Candido, Chairman of AMAC, for doing all within his power to make education free within the council.
She said the chairman had built block of classrooms in some communities, donated books, uniforms, shoes, so that the common man could enroll his child without thinking of paying any fees.
The official urged parents to support the council, saying that the chairman was doing all within his power to see residents of AMAC properly educated by making education free for all.
Tukura appealed to community leaders in AMAC to unite by carrying out self-help projects that would impact positively on the people, adding that waiting on government for everything would not solve their problems.
In some of the communities within the council, some of the children from the ages of 5 to 16 were seen engaging in different child labour like hawking, wheelbarrow pushers, cleaning of cars wheel screen, begging for arms among others.
Some of the children and parents attributed their non enrolment to non-availability of resources to pay tuition fee, buy uniforms, books and pay other fees.
Solomon Jacob, a nine year old pupil, said he comes to karimo market every Tuesdays to carry load for people and they paid him.
“I want to go to school but nobody to pay my school fees, my parents do not have money that is while am helping them.
Hauwa Idris, a five year old girl seen selling groundnut, said that her mother gave her the nuts to go and sell so they could have money to eat.
Lami Abubakar, refuses to disclose her age but admitted that she want to go to school and become a medical doctor but her parents do not have the means to send her.
“We are six children from my mother, and we all fend for ourselves because my parents do not have money to send us to school.
“The government said education is free, but it is not free, if you do not have money no school will admit you, I have gone to the government school around me but they were asking me to pay. I cannot afford it.”
She appealed to the government to look into the issue of education and make it completely free so that indigent children could attend.
Mrs Roseline Okeke, a trader, urged the government, private companies, and privileged individuals to come to the rescue of the poor that could not afford education.
She said the fee they charge in some of the government schools were too outrageous, adding that some people could not afford it.
“I have five children three are in secondary schools, one want to write SSCE. I am paying almost N50, 000, which is too much, what am I selling?
“Please, I am begging the government to look into it and do something to reduce the fee so that parents can enroll their children in schools,” she pleaded.
NAN
