X-raying lapses of CTP in the North
By ABRAHAM Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States of America, in 1856 said, “Actions speak louder than words”. Similarly, a renowned author, Orison Swett Marden, once said, “All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible.”
No matter the angles or dimensions deployed, child education is a desideratum and distinctly a sine qua non to building a secure, strong and thriving society considering that children are future leaders. ‘Nemo dat quod non habet’ rule literally says ‘nobody can give what they don’t have.’
We take Buhari’s pronouncement on federalism with a pinch of salt ― Afenifere
Thus, by UNICEF’s characteristic interventions on child education through Cash Transfer Programme in developing nations, inarguably, the agency vis-à-vis its mandate is on track. However, great goals are rarely attained without hitches or hurdles.
First and foremost, ensuring that these providential funds are judiciously utilized for designed purposes is critically prominent. In fact, prompt accessibility of funds to bona fide beneficiaries devoid of corruption cannot be overemphasized.
Thus, government must put a pragmatic mechanism in place for accountability, and possibly come up with legal regimens against shabby deals with the funds beginning from parents to fund managers alongside operating banks.
Meddling with the funds should be measured as grievous injury to the society. Emphatically, disbursement must be expressly directed to mother-beneficiaries without intermediary; including community heads, traditional rulers, almajiris etc. Their tasks, albeit vital, must have a clear boundary, enlightening neighbourhoods to leverage the scheme.
Imperatively, women that enrolled children, and consequently collected stipends, must accountably produce the children in school throughout the term such that those pupils do not disappear after receiving the stipends. In other words, participating mothers are strictly liable for children’s attendance in school in exchange of stipends received. If not, some crooked persons may use some children to divert the funds to private pockets. With this mechanism, it doesn’t matter if a child belongs to someone else as long as the pupils are available in classrooms as beneficiaries till the end of the academic phase.
The most shocking finding in a two-day EAC-media summit in Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State capital, in northwest that seemingly represents the culture of the people is harsh discrimination against girl-child in poor families. The aberration manifested clearly in the area under appraisal. Misguidedly, the underprivileged families believe girls are merely for child-bearing, hence, misconstrued girls’ education as waste of time and resources.
It is germane for indigenous stakeholders, political, traditional leaders to brainstorm. Indisputably, the world is outsized to contain everybody’s dreams and ambitions irrespective of magnitudes. The superlative mode of proactive security remains accessible education to the people. Otherwise, the neglected uneducated population may in future constitute nuisance, characterized by unruly behaviours, to the detriment of the populace.
Carl Umegboro,
08173184542
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