Your Excellency Sir,
The state of education in Bauchi is terribly on the alarming side! If care is not taken, rebuilding the education system in Bauchi to a world-class standard may take the state one hundred years to come because of its regrettable state of damage. The worst part of it is that this is evident even within the Bauchi metropolis a few kilometres away from your luxurious government office.
Sir, those beautiful bridges you are building may not be useful and safe for the illiterate generation we are grooming today; they may end up not knowing even their zero value.
I want to use this medium to kindly and humbly draw your attention to this as a concerned citizen or indigene of Bauchi State. I am sure as far as the 21st century is concerned, no human being can test the sweet part of this digitised life without acquiring strong and sound education at all levels.
According to the 2022 report by SBM Intelligence, Bauchi State has the highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, with a total of 1,239,759 not attending school. This represents an out-of-school ratio of 60.8%, which means that 60.8% of children of primary school age in Bauchi are not enroled in school.
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The out-of-school rate for boys in Bauchi is 60.4%, while that for girls is 61.1%. This means that there are slightly more girls out of school than boys in Bauchi State which is quite alarming.
The main reasons for children being out of school in Bauchi, according to the reports, are poverty, early marriage, child labour, and insecurity. Poverty is a major factor, as many families cannot afford to send their children to school. Early marriage is also a problem, as many girls are married off before they reach the age of 18.
Child labour is another factor, as many children are forced to work to help support their families. And insecurity is also a major problem in some parts of Bauchi, which has made it difficult for children to attend school.
The government of Bauchi State is working to address the problem of out-of-school children. The state has increased its spending on education, and it is building new schools and providing scholarships to children from poor families. The state is also working to raise awareness of the importance of education, and it is trying to change the social norms that contribute to child marriage and child labour.
Despite these efforts, the problem of out-of-school children in Bauchi is still a major challenge. The state needs to do more to address the root causes of the problem, such as poverty and insecurity. It also needs to make education more accessible and affordable for all children.
It is my sincere wish that this letter gets to you and that tangible actions should be taken towards ensuring that these grievous mistakes are corrected.
Sir, your cabinet members may not be telling you the truth about the current situation in Bauchi State; dig deeper and find out for yourself.
Hassan, an indigene of Gandu village in the Bula ward of Tafawa Balewa LGA resides in Abuja. E-mail: [email protected]
By Aliyu Hassan (Gandu Bula)
