The newly appointed Executive Chairman of the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB), Kassim Muhammed-Kassim, has issued a strong warning to parents across the state—send your children to school or face penalties.
Muhammed-Kassim gave the warning on Wednesday at the board’s headquarters shortly after resuming office. He was addressing senior staff of the board, traditional rulers, stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and friends who accompanied him following his inauguration by Governor Abdullahi Sule.
He emphasized that education is not optional but a right every child must enjoy.
“Therefore, parents have no excuse not to send their children to school, as the board under my leadership is determined to reposition the basic education system of the state,” he said. “The law stipulates that any parent or guardian who fails to send his or her child to school commits an offence and would be fined.”
He stressed that education in Nasarawa must be both free and compulsory, adding that the issue of out-of-school children, especially the “Almajiri,” would be decisively addressed.
“Any parent who failed to send his child to school must be fined. Education in Nasarawa must not only be free but compulsory. The issue of Almajiri will be squarely tackled,” Muhammed-Kassim declared.
He also assured stakeholders that his administration would prioritize teaching and learning over contracts.
“We will shift attention from SUBEB contracts to other areas that will also benefit the people of the state and staff of the board,” he said, while urging parents to support the government’s vision for quality education.
“No parent should deny his or her child the right to education, which would unlock the child’s full potential for a better future,” he added.
Earlier, Governor Abdullahi Sule, while swearing in Muhammed-Kassim and other board members at the Government House in Lafia, the state capital, charged them to get to work immediately and address the manpower needs of the state’s basic education system.
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“Since our assumption of office in May 2019, we have continued to accord high premium to the education sector, particularly the basic education component,” the governor said.
“It is based on our belief that basic education is the foundation for an egalitarian society, hence the need to sustain our efforts towards repositioning of our primary and junior secondary schools for enhanced quality delivery of service.”
In addition, Governor Sule also inaugurated the Chairman and members of the State Local Government Service Commission during the ceremony.
