As the sun set on a typical Friday morning in Gidan Yaro Community School, Wamakko Local Government, Yusuf, an 11-year-old primary school student, strolls aimlessly through his village. Despite his school being mere steps away from his house, he wandered around during what was supposed to be learning time.
At this time, their morning school session should have begun, but the usual hum of classrooms was absent.
Despite the start time, no school teacher was in sight to signal the beginning of the lesson as every classroom remained empty with no single student.
“The teachers don’t come every day,” Yusuf told this reporters. “I only go to school when I know the teacher is there.”
From Farm to University Hostel: Life without Formal Schooling
Amina Bello, one of the children who has never experienced formal education despite the school being close to her, told this reporter during ann interview that she does not attend school.
According to her, she only spends her time at her parents’ farm or helping students in Usmanu Danfodiyo University hostel for a meager income.
Her words reflected a broader feelings: a lack of concern for formal learning and a contrast to what one might expect from a learning environment.
“I have never stepped my feet in class. I only help my parents on the farm. And from there, I will go to UDUS hostel to work for students to get a little income for myself.”
In northern Nigeria, the situation is particularly dire. According to reports, 60 percent of these children are in the North, where factors like the Boko Haram insurgency have compounded the crisis.
Research from the Improving Systems of Education (RISE) initiative indicates that around 10.5 million children aged 5-14 are out of school, with half residing in the northern region.
Recent data from UNESCO reveals a startling figure: Nigeria now has 20.2 million out-of-school children, a number that has doubled over recent decades. Nigeria accounts for one in five of the world’s out-of-school children, with a staggering 15 percent of the global total.
UNICEF reports that one in three Nigerian children is out of school, totaling approximately 10.2 million in primary and 8.1 million in secondary school.
Parents React
Abubakar Kasimu (Buba), a parent from Gidan Yaro, explains that during the rainy season, Fulani cattle invade farms, leading to children being withdrawn from school to guard crops. Once the harvest is over, children return to their studies.
In an interview with a woman who prefers to be addressed as Safiya, a young mother, she attributes poor attendance to inconsistent teaching. “The teacher often leaves for other schools, and since there is only one teacher, the children don’t come when he is absent.”
Shehu Mai Anguwa, the village head, acknowledged the issue but admits he is unsure why children skipped school on a particular day. His remarks offer little insight into how to address the problem.
“Lack of writing materials contribute to school issue”– Teacher
Having spent almost an hour in the village conducting the interview, the teacher arrived, but no students were present in the classrooms.
When asked about the absence of the students in the school, Mallam Kabiru, the only teacher at Gidan Yaro’s community school, expressed frustration over the lack of student commitment despite free education.
“Not all students have writing materials,” he notes. He asserts that he is present daily but still sees poor attendance. With the headmaster’s recent transfer, he is the only teacher, forcing him to make a lengthy daily commute from Emir Yahaya.
Kabiru proposes that enhancing the school environment might help. “Creating an enticing playground could attract more students,” he suggests.
He believes that a school feeding program would encourage attendance, as some children miss school in search of food.
He also noted that stronger enforcement of compulsory education by the village head could improve attendance.
He added , “I go down to the village everyday to chase the children to school with the village head, a situation which isn’t proper and despite that, the attendance is still low.”
Education is A Right for All –Expert Weighs in
Dr Muritala Akanbi Yusuf, an educationist and lecturer in the Education Faculty of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto recognizes education to be the right of all and says no matter the circumstance, everyone should be given the opportunity to access quality education because through education, the future is guaranteed.
He observed that there are situations where communities do not see a reason why their children should attend school. He however specified that the school in question has a lot of reasons why the turnout is low, one of which could be poverty. It is a rural community school and the poverty level is very glaring and a person who is very poor would not be thinking of school, they have pressing matters to tend to of which the head of it is food.
Another point he raised is non availability of educational facilities and resources. The school in Gidan Yaro is not a school in the real sense. He also added that it could be because of lack of awareness on the part of the members of the community on the importance of education.
Dr Muritala while speaking on the implication of non-education of the children said; “their future is very bleak, education prepares children for future roles and there is a possibility that in future they would not be able to perform the role expected of them”.
Going further, he said it also helps in stemming the continuity of poverty and if the poverty persists, it would affect the development of the community. Illiteracy in children will add to the level of adult illiteracy in the future.
He made it clear that the university has a responsibility of reaching out to the community via sensitization and public enlightenment on the benefits of education. Also, advocacy to the community by government in addressing some of the socio economic reasons responsible for poverty would also help.
In conclusion, he posited that illiteracy in the children can only be redressed if the members of the community encourage their wards to go to school.
By: Amanatullahi Yusuf