From Magnus Eze, Enugu
As Nigeria grapples with over 20 million of out-of-school children, especially in the north, Afikpo community in Ebonyi State has banned children aged six to 15 from being seen outside school premises from 8am to 2pm, Mondays to Fridays, during school sessions.
The proclamation was made at a mandatory meeting of men and women of all age grades in the town on September 23 with representatives of the state government and Afikpo local government council in attendance.
Part of the resolutions was that children seen outside the school premises would be apprehended, and their parents or immediate community fined N5,000. Teachers found outside the school premises shall also be apprehended, and the same fine of N5,000 shall apply.
Speaker of the Esaa Elders Traditional Council, Christopher Abagha Egwu, decried the falling standards of education in Afikpo.
“Education was the comparative advantage of the Afikpo man. Today, we have lost that advantage. Our young people are dropping out of schools in droves and the performance of our students is disheartening. This is an existential crisis to the Afikpo man,” Egwu lamented.
Daily Sun gathered that the meeting also resolved to set up a taskforce consisting of youth age grade for the effective implementation of the ban.
“The age grade shall also be responsible for bringing sanity to the menace of youths above fifteen years who are not in education, vocational training or under employment.”
According to the resolution, no young person under 18 years shall be allowed to ride commercial motorcycles in Afikpo. The meeting further ordered the closure of all shops and structures that sell illicit drugs in the town.
Leader of the youth age grade, Obila Ode and a school teacher, Mrs. Nkechinyere Oko, both assured that the ban would be effectively implemented.
Coordinator of Afikpo Education Support Group, Ewah Otu Eleri, praised the outcome of the meeting.
He described the meeting as epochal with the closure of all markets in Afikpo and prohibition of farm work to enable all men and women participate in the event.
“We, therefore, urge the Ebonyi State government to reciprocate this gesture by removing all fees from primary one to junior secondary school, and ensure effective funding of education,” he said.