Usman Lawal Adamu, the senator representing Kaduna Central, has revealed that the Senate is considering amending the 1999 constitution to include a six-month jail sentence for parents who refuse to enrol their children in school.
He spoke with the newsmen Wednesday, after presenting a report from the Senate Committee on Education (Primary and Secondary) on the need to address the issue of out-of-school children in plenary.
“We are proposing a six-month jail term for parents who refuse to send their children to school. We must come to terms with the fact that education is very key. It’s the solution to these criminalities that are happening,” Senator Adamu, said.
“20 million out-of-school children is a timebomb for any country. They are potential bandits; they are a major danger. So, this is a major issue. This is the cause of insecurity in the country,” Akpabio said.
The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, also said, “Out-of-school children are a serious problem. It is a kind of timebomb, and once it explodes, it will consume us, particularly the northern part of this country.”
In his contribution, Senator Simon Lalong (APC, Plateau South), asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to compel state governors to address the issue of out-of-school children in their states sequel to the huge funds being allocated to them.
After an extensive debate on the issue, Senator Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West), moved a motion for a national summit on the issue. The motion was seconded by the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North).
Akpabio said the summit would have various stakeholders including representatives of the federal, state and local governments, civil society organizations and many others in attendance.
