Some civil society organisations have called for the amendment of the Universal Basic Education Act (2004) before the 2019 general elections.
The Chief Operating Officer of Connected Development, Ojonwa Deborah Miachi, and the Programme Manager of Youth Hub Africa, Olusegun Medupin, disclosed this on Thursday while jointly addressing journalists in Abuja.
They said the Act has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives, saying the bill has been referred to the Committee on Basic Education and Services.
“The bill to amend the free and compulsory and Universal Basic Education Act (2004) was passed on the 12th of July 2017 at the Senate. The House of Representatives on the other hand has not passed the bill. With elections around the corner, the bill has become a matter of urgency at least before the general elections.
“We are calling on the leadership of the House of the Representatives and the entire structure of the National Assembly, Federal Ministry of Education, President Muhammadu Buhari to rise to the occasion and amend UBE Act without further delay,” they appealed.
The groups said before the commencement of the forthcoming elections, the bill should be passed into law adding that education should not be politicised as it strengthens the nation.
“The insurgency in the northeast is also responsible for the rising number of out-of-school children in Nigeria. Girls of primary school age are not in school in the Northwest and North eastern part of Nigeria.
“About 2,295 teachers have been killed and 1,400 schools destroyed since the inception of Boko Haram,” they said, adding that educating the girl-child grows the economy and Nigerian leaders must reconsider the position of the girl-child and the future of Nigeria.
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