Sultan Advocates Stiff Penalty for Out of School Children’s Parents

The Sultan of Sokoto Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III yesterday said
that henceforth the parents of out of school children would face
the full wrath of law for refusing to send their children to
school.

He stated this at Sultan Maccido institute, Sokoto, in an event
to commemorate international day of Girl -child organised by
Sultanate council..

The traditional and religious leader explained that Islam was
not against girl-child education as speculated in some
quarters.

“We in the caliphate hold education in high esteem because the
caliphate and Islam was built on knowledge,” he said. He further
added that he would soon convene the meeting of Northern
traditional rulers in Kaduna to get the statistics of children out
of school in each emirate and chiefdom.

Sultan averred that in the next year event the council would
organise debates for all the schools in Sokoto State where the
winners will go home with prizes and scholarships.

He encouraged married women who were yet to acquire Western
education to do so as it was never late.

“If you are a married woman and you are yet to acquire Western
education, it is never late as you can enroll in adult education,”
he counseled.

On her part, a guest speaker at the occasion, Prof. Sadiya Omar
Bello said she was worried at number of out of school children
which she said was about 13 million in Nigeria where girls account
for about 7million and Northern Nigeria have 65 per cent of the
same number.

She encouraged parents to accord priority to girl-child
education saying girls, if educated would contribute to the
development of society.

There was good will messages from chairperson of NAWOJ, Comrade
Zainab Saidu and other women organisations.

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