Rights advocate seeks enforcement of free basic education for children

A girl-child rights advocate, Bridget Kolade, has enjoined government at all levels to enforce free, compulsory and qualitative basic education for children.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kolade spoke in Ibadan on Thursday at the opening of the 2019 August Girls’ Assembly (AGA) organised by Worth-in-Womanhood arm of Vine Branch Ministries.

Kolade argued that to secure the future of Nigeria, the Federal Government must play its role in bringing out the best in the girl-child.

She said: “ The human being is not any better than an animal without education; this is what makes us different. So our children must know that compulsorily they must go to school.

“Any parent who doesn’t put his or her ward in school should be arrested because the child doesn’t have a say of his own.

“The lives of those who have been put in air conditioned schools would be at the risk of those roaming the street because of lack of education.

“We have many school children who cannot communicate in English language which is our lingua franca.

“I believe in mother tongue but a child must be able to communicate in English to be able to compete in the world.”

Kolade, who is the coordinator of AGA, also stressed the need to educate girls on how to protect themselves from sexual abuse now on the increase in the country.

“Our focus, more than ever before, is to let the girl-child know that she is vulnerable by virtue of her makeup though she is loaded with beauty, honour and grace from God.

“So she must be very careful of how she handles herself against sexual abuse in particular.

“These children are bright and sharp; they should know the right thing to do to prevent themselves from being exposed to such evil.

“We have brought down our age to eight because we realise now that Age Eight girls are now at puberty; so she must be aware of herself,” Kolade said.

She further said the event that was aimed at impacting on 2,000 girls in Oyo State with the right information, would help promote morality. (NAN)

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