Every child, irrespective of his or her social class, deserves care and attention, especially with respect to formal education. All children, no matter where they live or their circumstances, have the right to quality education. It is their fundamental human right which the society owes them.
Children, however, do better in school when parents are involved in their academic lives. Unfortunately, this reality is lacking in many homes as many parents, mostly poor and illiterate ones, prefer to send their children to the streets to hawk instead of sending them to school.
Some parents even go as far as making hawking a condition for their children to have meals, while many others send their children to their relations who, in most cases, maltreat and use them as house-helps.
Statistics have shown that even though primary education is officially free and compulsory, about 10.5 million Nigerian children between five and 14 years are out of school. About 61 percent of school children between six and 11 years are regular in school, while only 35.6 percent of children aged 36-59 months receive early education.
Studies further reveal that children who are out of school are usually found hawking during school hours and are subjected to many dangers. These dangers come in the form of motor accident and ill health as a result of emissions from vehicles, excessive standing and running as well as continuous exposure to harsh weather.
Another hazard of child hawking is the exposure to premature sex. At a tender age, many of the child hawkers become sexually active as they are usually abused by adults who take advantage of their vulnerability. As a result, about a third of the female hawkers who are students hardly complete their education due to unwanted pregnancy or ill health.
There were reported cases of many child hawkers who have been infected with various diseases such as HIV, Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Many others have even lost their lives in the course of attempting to get rid of unwanted pregnancy.
In spite of these dangers, the menace of child hawking is still prevalent in the country. In virtually all major cities across the country, children of school age are seen selling goods on major roads, sometimes running after motorists and passengers for patronage. This is appalling; it is high time something urgent was done to curb this menace to avert dire consequences in the future.
Research has also shown that more than a quarter of students are self-sponsored. They engage in menial jobs, including hawking and prostitution to foot their education bills.
This is why it is imperative for the government to provide free education for indigent children who are orphans or whose parents are financially incapacitated to cater for their children’s education. This will go a long way in helping these children achieve their goals in future and also help reduce societal ills that are associated with illiteracy.
There is no gainsaying the fact that indigent children constitute the largest percentage of public irritants that disturb the peace of the society. This is largely due to their low level of education and their exposure to harsh realities of life.
It is a fact that children’s attitudes and behaviours vary in degree depending on their social status. Poor children tend to see themselves as less opportune to be successful and, in most cases, feel inferior and oppressed by their educated counterparts. As a result, they resort to wayward and untoward life styles such as touting, hooliganism, cultism, armed robbery etc to make up for their deficiencies and inadequacies.
This is a ticking time-bomb and should be of serious concern to the government and all well-meaning Nigerians.
Needless to say that most of these out-of-school children who hawk on the streets are very intelligent and have great dreams, but because of their poor background, they end up not fulfilling their dreams.
The Nigerian Child Right Act says children should be protected from trafficking or street hawking, but the implementation of this provision has been abysmal to date, as many children are still being trafficked and pushed into street hawking despite the many dangers associated with it.
In the past, the government introduced some interventionist policies to encourage child education. One of such policies is the Universal Basic Education (UBE) introduced in 1999. It was intended to guarantee free tuition-fee, compulsory basic education for all children in Nigeria, but due to inadequate funding and poor infrastructure, its impact is yet to be fully felt.
In order to tackle these challenges, the government needs to make education at all levels affordable for all categories of the citizenry. Parents who cannot afford to send their children beyond primary or secondary school should be assisted financially to do so. This, however, should not be left for the government alone. Non-governmental organisations, religious bodies and wealthy individuals can be of great assistance.
Meanwhile, a boost in family income can move many parents out of extreme poverty and give them the mental space to visualise their child’s future. This is because in a country where it is difficult to provide three square meals per day, giving children formal education becomes a herculean task for many parents.
It is for this reason that the government should improve on the nation’s economy, banish extreme poverty and prioritise child education.
Moreover, government should expand the infrastructural facilities in public schools to accommodate more students, while also ensuring quality teacher development and good conditions of service. This is because if the welfare of the Nigerian teacher is not attended to, it can be a detriment to the quality of education in the country.
As we are working towards achieving education for all, it is imperative that we set our goals right by creating conducive atmosphere that will help the growth of child education in the country.
Ekeke is a student of Mass Communication, Abia State University, Uturu.

By: Favour Ekeke