Parents’ inability to pay school fees in Adamawa has been stated as the main reason why most children of school age in the state are out of schools.
Only 49 percent of school-age children in Adamawa State are said to be in school, according to the research conducted by a nongovernmental organisation, African Centre for leadership Strategy & Development (Centre LSD)
The acting Executive Director of the NGO, Mr Monday Osasah, who made the disclosure in Yola on Wednesday 11th September, 2019 during a training conference for education sector stakeholders towards raising school enrolment, stated that girls are particularly affected owing to the impression that education for girls is a waste as they would sooner than later be married off.
Osasah, who delivered lectures to community leaders during a workshop in Yola on enhancing school enrolment, drew his conclusions from a research initiated by his NGO and published with funding from Malala Fund, with focus on three LGAs: Maiha, Song and Numan.
The report on the research shows that while total population of persons of school age in the state in 2018 was 1,736,546; only 849,912 (49%) were enrolled in primary and secondary schools.
The report shows that while the total population of females aged 5-19 in the state was 843,024, only 383,380 (45.5%) were in school, leaving 459,644 out of school.
The research, which paid particular attention to girl-child education in the state, also listed fear of being captured by insurgents, early marriage, unwanted pregnancy and indifference to western education as other reasons for high number of out-of-school girls.
The research report recommends in-depth engagement of stakeholders to facilitate community action in favour of girl-child education, and critical interrogation of identified barriers by government and community stakeholders as some of the solutions to low school enrolment.
