Otti’s Unique Way of Tackling Out-of-School Children

The Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti’s handling of the issue of out-of-school children is exemplary.

Last week, he issued a warning that any child of school-age caught hawking during school hours would be arrested, and their parents prosecuted.

The governor announced that, starting from January 2025, it would be a punishable offence for children of school-age to engage in hawking during school hours.

“If we find a child hawking during school hours, we won’t arrest the child directly. Instead, the child will lead us to their parents,” he reportedly said.

The governor emphasised that it would be a violation of the law for any child to be found engaging in such activities during school hours. 

“From January next year, I am giving you a few months of grace. After that, if we catch a child of school-age hawking, we will pick them up—not because we want to arrest them, but because they will take us to their parents. We will exchange the child with their parents, and the parents will be locked up.”

Out-school-children really constitute a serious challenge in the country. Last August, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed that in Nigeria, 18.5 million children were out of school.

Education is key to sustainable development. It equips the minds with the tools to contribute positively to societies, break the shackles of ignorance, eradicates poverty and strengthens individual choices.

Children who are out of school deter sustainable development. Any child deprived of education grows into adult with severely limited choices in life.

Therefore, out-of-school children will constitute a ticking time bomb if not checked.

A study recently showed that with many children out of school in years to come, there will be a lack of adequate and appropriate manpower in the future. This deficiency will affect all aspects of human life as there will be vacancies in several areas that demand the skills acquired through education at school.

This is why the current step taken by Governor Otti to curtail the menace in his state is worthy of commendation. He really needs to ensure that his plan is effectively implemented.