Nasarawa to Prosecute Parents Who Keep Children Out of School, SUBEB Warns

The Nasarawa State Government has announced that parents who refuse to enrol their children in school will face prosecution under the state’s Child Rights Law, as authorities move to curb the growing number of out-of-school children.

Dr Kassim Mohammed Kassim, Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), issued the warning during a media briefing in Lafia ahead of the state’s Basic Education Summit.

He said recent data revealed a worrying rise in children not enrolled in school, prompting the board to enforce compulsory basic education across Nasarawa.

“Our statistics show that we have a high number of children not enrolled in school in the state, and the Board desires to make education compulsory and free for every child in Nasarawa State,” Dr Kassim said.

He reminded parents that Section 6 of the Child Rights Law mandates free and compulsory education for all children and stressed that authorities “will enforce the law against any parent who fails to enrol their children and wards accordingly.”

Dr Kassim also announced major steps to address teacher shortages in the state’s public schools.

According to him, 1,900 qualified teachers who were previously deployed to administrative roles at local government offices have been returned to classrooms. An additional 1,000 teachers will be reassigned soon as part of wider efforts to strengthen manpower in primary schools.

The SUBEB chairman said the board is deepening collaboration with traditional rulers, community leaders and other stakeholders to improve school safety and protect learning facilities.

He listed vandalism, teacher absenteeism, poorly executed school projects and diversion of instructional materials as some of the major challenges hampering basic education in Nasarawa.

Dr Kassim noted that solving these issues requires joint action from communities, government and education authorities to ensure pupils learn in safe and enabling environments.