A professor of family law at the University of Ibadan, Osifunke Sekinah Ekundayo, has appealed to the National Assembly to amend the Constitution in order to incorporate compulsory basic education for children of school age.
Ekundayo, while speaking, emphasized the need for a constitutional amendment that would incorporate a substantive right to free and compulsory basic education.
She noted that this would help empower citizens to enforce the right through judicial means.
The don, who decried the menace of out-of-school children, noted that it is a reflection of systematic exclusion.
Ekundayo made these declarations while delivering the 580th inaugural lecture of the University of Ibadan on Thursday.
While delivering the lecture titled “Speaking Up for the Numerous Voiceless Children Shut Out of School in Nigeria: An Endless Odyssey”;;, she insisted that access to and completion of primary education for every child in Nigeria is the responsibility of the state.
She identified poverty as one of the major reasons many children are unable to complete primary education.
She added that the government should ensure that primary education is available, accessible, acceptable, and adaptable for all children.
Speaking further, Ekundayo maintained that quality education is critical to addressing human rights abuses and ensuring that no child is left behind.
“Poverty is a recurring reason for non-completion of primary school education in Nigeria. The country has made attempts to implement the inherent right to free and compulsory primary education for all children, albeit there are still several challenges faced by disadvantaged children.
“Challenges such as poverty, conflicts, cultural beliefs, insufficient funding, and the lack of substantive constitutional provisions to guarantee the right to free and compulsory primary education, among others.
“To ensure that all children have unhindered access to education, the abolition of school fees should not focus only on tuition, but also on the wide range of schooling costs borne by families and households.
“There is a need for a constitutional amendment that would incorporate a substantive right to free and compulsory basic education and empower citizens to enforce that right judicially.
“For Nigeria to comply with international human rights standards on education, the state must be willing to recognize the right constitutionally and prioritize its resources accordingly.”;;
