Send Your Child to School or go to Jail – El-Rufai

Send Your Child to School or go to Jail – El-Rufai

The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai at the weekend warned that parents in the state who failed to send their children to school in September would be jailed.

According to Reports, El Rufai made the declaration at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House during the screening of the “He named me Malala,” documentary organised by his wife, Hadiza.

“You can leave Kaduna State if you don’t want to send your child to school next month. No street begging again. All our children must go to school. Any parent who refuses to send his or her child to school will be prosecuted and sent to prison, he said.

In her remark, wife of the governor, Hadiza El-Rufai, lamented the high percentage of out-of-school girls in the state, stating that government must come to their aid so they can effectively contribute to society.

“I wish to start by thanking all of you for coming to this screening of the ‘He named me Malala Documentary.’ While most of us know Malala as the 19-year-old Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner, it is important to know where her journey started.

“Malala was just a regular Pakistani girl with a penchant for education until in 2012 when her pursuit for education resulted in her being shot and put in a coma. The attack received worldwide condemnation, she has since recovered from the tragedy and has translated this tragedy to worldwide advancements in girl child education.

“In Kaduna State, we are working assiduously to create opportunities, the percentage of girls out of school is way too high and this is a problem we have decided to solve. In cognisance of this, we are working hard to increase female enrolment in good schools, improve school  curriculum and make affordable health care available for everyone.”

Meanwhile, the state’s Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Andrew Nok, said the current administration in the state had awarded scholarships to 40 girls to study Medicine in Uganda as a way of encouraging girl-child education.