To commemorate 2024 World Law Day, Amnesty International and the French Embassy in Nigeria organised a conversation that focused on the legal basis of the right to education. The importance of promoting knowledge of human rights, particularly the right to education, was emphasised by Barbara Magaji, Program Manager at Amnesty International, who emphasised that all people are born with these rights. Reiterating that Education is a universally acknowledged fundamental human right, Mrs. Ketty Ris, the Cooperation Attaché at the French Embassy, cited international agreements like the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Ris also emphasised the importance of achieving the right to education by pointing out the terrible state of affairs in Nigeria, where more than 18.5 million children—especially girls—are not attending school. According to Dr. Nasir Muktar of the University of Abuja, the right to education is guaranteed by the constitution and can be upheld by Legislation such as the Child Rights Act and the Universal Basic Education Law. During the event, the winner of the discussion, Adeyemi Sky, a law student, criticised Nigeria’s low financial allocation for education, which is only 5%, significantly less than the 20% that UNICEF recommends. Sky pushed for the legalisation of schooling.
It is observed worldwide to stress the essential role of the rule of law.
Another debate winner, Alpha Shigusa Ayuba Dankudara, a high school student, said the experience helped him better appreciate the importance of education as a fundamental right. By encouraging critical thinking and activism among young people, the discussion sought to increase awareness of the value of Human Rights and education. Every year, there is a commemoration of World Law Day, a day devoted to bringing attention to the role that justice and the Rule of Law play in defending human rights and advancing Peace and progress.
Also, it was created by the World Jurist Association to give governments, activists, and legal professionals a forum to promote equality, human rights, and the rule of law. The day is observed worldwide to emphasise the essential role that the rule of law plays in establishing a just and equitable society and guaranteeing the protection and universal enforcement of rights including the right to education. World Law Day encourages legal professionals and Civil Society to have critical conversations about ways to increase access to justice globally and serves as a reminder of the link between the legal system and the realisation of fundamental human rights.
60% of children do not have formal ed. in insurgency-affected states.
There are serious issues with Nigeria’s educational system; as of 2023, a startling amount of children are not attending school. For instance, more than 60% of school-age children do not receive formal education in insurgency-affected states like Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa. As a result of cultural prejudices, early marriage, and domestic duties, girls comprise 60% of the out-of-school population, further contributing to the gender gap. Education policy specialist Professor Ayo Ogunsanya has underlined that “the real crisis is not just the number of children out of school, but the deteriorating quality of education available to those who attend.”
Furthermore, the workforce of the future will be woefully unprepared if adequate funding is not allocated for Teacher training and school Infrastructure improvements. Aisha Yesufu, a human rights advocate, has also often emphasised the necessity of government accountability. “The fact that millions of youngsters, especially girls, are still not attending school shows how much our Culture has failed to recognise education as a fundamental right. The government needs to take immediate action to address this issue.
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In the meantime, Saadhna Panday-Soobrayan, the Chief of Education for the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in Nigeria, has pushed for more robust collaborations between the public and private sectors to tackle the educational issue. She has said, “The government is not alone in charge of education. For children to have access to high-quality education, particularly the most disadvantaged, all parties involved must cooperate. Improved school infrastructure, community-based interventions, public-private partnerships, teacher recruitment and training, increased budgetary allocation, and addressing gender disparities are all practical ways to address Nigeria’s educational crisis.