There is no doubt that education is a human right. This right ought to be accessible to everyone without discrimination. All children must be in a position to go to school and benefit from the same opportunities to build a future.
Education consists of a form of learning that is necessary for the development of one’s personality and identity as well as one’s physical and intellectual capabilities. Not only that it ensures the transmission of human principles to new generations and the conservation and perpetuation of social values. It also contributes to the flourishing of individuality the enhancement of social and professional integration.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), “child rights are fundamental freedoms and the inherent rights of all human beings below the age of 18. These rights apply to every child regardless of race, colour, sex, creed or other status.” One of these rights is the right to education and access to proper information.
However research has shown that most children have been deprived of these rights and opportunity thereby making education exclusively for the privileged.
Barriers including poverty and discrimination still exclude the world’s most marginalised children. Some children could not acquire education because of poverty. And sometimes parents or guardians end a child’s education because they consider it a waste of money. In other words, they don’t value education. It is for this reason a scholar once said: “If you think education is expensive then try ignorance.”
Discrimination is another factor that has caused barrier to children’s access to education. Some educational institutions offer admission to children based on religion, social status, race and ethnic group. Also, some government establishments discriminate against some persons in offering employment and have favoured only those from the elite class. Persons with physical disabilities are not exempted as they are often discriminated against because of their poor physical state.
The denial of education to children do not only take the aforementioned form. It also manifest in teachers’ attitude to teaching at the various institutions of learning. Some teachers are too lazy to even plan their lessons before coming to class. As a result of this, they teach without co-ordination. This gives the children very poor background that eventually affects them in the future.
Beyond those deprivation, the right to education presupposes that the objectives of learning will be attained. This means that all children have right to benefit from quality education.
It is therefore the responsibility of countries to guarantee each child the right to basic education. Nigeria cannot be an exception here. They must focus their efforts on primary education and make it accessible to all children. Primary and secondary education must be made free to all children. I do not think this is too much for our nation to bear.
For education to be accessible to all children, the sentiments attached to gender inequality must be stopped. In my secondary school days, I happened to be the only female student offering geography in my set. I know the discrimination I suffered from my teachers, especially the male teachers. My male geography teacher had always thought geography was a masculine discipline and therefore would not take questions from me in the class. I was barred from asking questions in the class and this demoralized me greatly. But I proved him wrong in the examination when I scored the highest mark in the subject.
My geography teacher’s attitude was enough to cause other female students to drop from school. Such attitude should be condemned because it is enough to deprive female students of their right to education. I believe this kind of behavior can be found in many other schools.
We should not end at the realization that education has to be a right for every child, but we must carry out an enlightenment campaign to that effect. Government must sponsor campaigns in the media and make laws that will enforce this right. This has to be done with all earnestness.
Unless this action is taken and more, it will be taken that education for all especially for the child, is still a promise. So long as it remains a promise our children will be without focus.
Ikegeuba is an intern with The Tide.