Imoban Teryila Isaac Esq., a legal practitioner with expertise in Medical Law, Ethics, and Human Rights Law, has raised pressing questions on the enforceability of children’s right to free and compulsory basic education in Nigeria.
In a recent paper titled “Is the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Basic Education a Reality or a Scam?”, Isaac, founder of I.T. Imoban & Co with offices in Owerri and Makurdi, argued that despite constitutional guarantees and the Child Rights Act 2003, millions of Nigerian children remain out of school. He stressed that poverty, weak enforcement, and lack of political will have reduced the promise of education to a mere illusion.
The paper highlights section 15 of the Child Rights Act, which mandates government at all levels to provide free, compulsory, and universal basic education for every child. Yet, in practice, children are seen hawking on the streets, working on farms, or excluded due to high school fees in both public and private institutions.
Isaac further notes that the Nigerian government cannot hide under Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution to avoid responsibility, as item 60(a) of the Second Schedule empowers the National Assembly to enforce socio-economic rights like education.
He concluded with a call on government to “sit up” in protecting and fulfilling the rights of children, warning that until then, the lofty promises of the Child Rights Act will remain “a scam on paper.”
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Is Children’s Right to Free Education in Nigeria a Reality or a Scam?
