Date Published: 01/12/11

Children Project chides Federal Government over resumption date

A non- governmental organisa tion (NGO), Child help in L eadership , Democracy , Rights and Education in Nigeria ( CHILDREN ) Project h as condemned in strong ter m s the recent extension of pupils in the public and pri vate schools in the country.

S peaking through its National Coordinator Debo Adeniran, the group , which is an affiliate of the Coalition against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) calls for the retrieval of the directive and a dvocated for uninterrupted academic calendar . According to him, “the education sect o r in the country already has got more problems that need urgent solution s and extension of resumption date should not be made part of the problems awaiting such solution s” .

Such identified problems include, “ the mass fai lure of students in the Senior School Leaving C ertificate Examinations, poor funding of education in the country which has made some stud ents to receive lectures under t ree shades or in dilapidated building, these and more problems have eaten deep into th e fabric of Nigerian e ducation ” .

Using school premises as INEC Registration Centre is not in anyway th e best way to achieve a free, fair and credible election . The activist advised that t here are other way s of achieving the free, fair and credible election which we have been hoping, praying and wishing for , and neglecting our basic responsibilities as parents by keeping these young ones at home for another four week s will amount to rend er ing them idle and the reby giving them the chance to explore in the wild. He therefore averred that “i nstead of using the schools premises for this exercise, the government can use other available secure open space s or better p rovide small registration booths that can be easil y accessed by members of the public who wants to register” .

Abimbola Badmus (Miss)

Ag. Publication Officer, CACOL

11 January, 2011