As the World marks the International Day of the African Child, the Centre for Social Awareness, Advocacy and Ethics (CSAAE) has called for interventions in the area of primary education to reduce the spate of out-of-school children.
CSAAE’s Primary Education Coordinator, Miss Blessing Bodunde, made the call while speaking with C-Advocate correspondent in Owerri, on Monday.
C-Advocate reports that the Day of the African Child is commemorated annually on June 16th, and its history is deeply rooted in the Soweto Uprising of 1976 in South Africa.
In 1991, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union, established the Day to honor the students who were killed during the uprising while protesting against apartheid policies, particularly the use of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in schools.
Bodunde expressed sadness over what she described as the “normalization” of street trading and hawking for school age children, describing the trend as “completely abnormal “.
“We spoke with children on the streets and found out their reasons for not being in school.
“ Miss Chiemerie Nwabugo, of Mbaitoli LGA, aged 18, said that she dropped out of school because of her inability to register for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.
“ 17 year-old Sam John, a student of Comprehensive Secondary School, Amakohia, in Imo state said that he dropped out of school because of financial constraints.
“Also, Chimaobi Onyegbule, from Orsu LGA, said that he dropped out as a result of rising insecurities in his hometown, which has caused many persons to flee their homes “, she said.
Bodunde called on concerned authorities to look into the issues raised to prioritize education for the younger generation.
She said that the objective of CSAAE’s celebration of the Day of the African Child was to raise awareness about the urgent education crisis facing millions of African children and to mobilize action toward inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all.
“ Through this campaign, CSAAE, through our C-EDU programme, seeks to highlight the reality that over 20 million children in Nigeria and many more across Africa remain out of school and call on stakeholders—governments, donors, educators, and the public—to invest in sustainable solutions, including building schools, supporting teachers, and empowering vulnerable children.
“ We also seek to inspire action through storytelling, community engagement, and advocacy that affirms every child’s right to learn and thrive while reinforcing C-EDU’s mission to ensure that no African child is denied the transformative power of education.
“This year’s observance is not just a commemoration, but a call to action—to change the statistics, one child at a time, to achieve quality, affordable, and inclusive primary education “, she said.