Opinion Education

EDUCATION IS BECOMING A LUXURY: A TIME BOMB NIGERIA MUST NOT IGNORE

By Yahaya Abdulrahman

There is no gainsaying the fact that education is one of the most powerful instruments for transforming individuals, communities and nations. Its value goes far beyond the ability to read and write. Education liberates the mind, promotes freedom and responsible citizenship, shapes culture towards positive human relationships, strengthens unity, encourages peaceful coexistence and drives social and economic development.

The level of education within a society is often reflected in the quality of its population, particularly its younger generation. An educated population is better positioned to understand its rights and responsibilities, make informed decisions, embrace innovation and contribute meaningfully to national development.

It was in recognition of these realities that our forebears placed considerable emphasis on education, making efforts to ensure that it was accessible and affordable to ordinary citizens. Successive administrations also introduced policies and programmes aimed at increasing school enrolment, reducing the burden on parents and encouraging children to remain in school.

I recall, for instance, how the administration of former Nasarawa State Governor, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, introduced free milk for pupils in public primary schools as a motivational drive to encourage enrolment. The initiative recorded positive results, particularly in rural communities where children needed additional motivation to go to school.

Similarly, the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari sustained the school feeding programme, which provided meals to pupils in public primary schools. Beyond addressing hunger, the programme served as a . motivation for school attendance and helped ease some of the financial pressures on vulnerable households.

These interventions demonstrated an important principle: making education accessible requires deliberate government policies and practical support for families.

Unfortunately, the situation today is increasingly disturbing. Education, which should be a fundamental instrument of social mobility and national development, is gradually becoming a luxury that many Nigerian families can no longer afford.

From primary to tertiary institutions, the cost of schooling continues to place enormous pressure on parents and guardians. Public schools, which should provide affordable alternatives for low-income households, are not entirely insulated from the challenges of rising costs. In private institutions, the financial burden is even more pronounced.

For many families, keeping a child in school has become a difficult economic decision. Some struggle to pay tuition and other compulsory charges, while others are forced to withdraw their children because they can no longer sustain the cost.

The consequence is a growing population of children who are either out of school or at risk of abandoning their education. This should concern every responsible Nigerian. A country cannot continually watch its children lose access to education and expect to enjoy sustainable peace, prosperity and security.

Beyond affordability, insecurity has emerged as another serious threat to education, particularly in Northern Nigeria. The repeated attacks on schools, abductions of pupils, students and teachers, and threats against educational communities have created an atmosphere of fear that discourages school attendance. In several affected communities, parents are understandably reluctant to expose their children to the danger of attending school.

We have witnessed schools being shut down following mass abductions and security threats. The consequences extend beyond the immediate closure of school facilities. Children lose valuable learning years, teachers abandon vulnerable locations, and entire communities suffer setbacks that may take generations to overcome.

A particularly disturbing example is the Federal Government Junior Girls Secondary School at Eyenu, within Udege Area Administrative Council of Nasarawa State. Despite having a well-constructed structure that was fully completed and ready for use, the school could not serve its intended purpose because of fears surrounding kidnapping and insecurity. The facility was subsequently converted for another use.

What a painful contradiction ! A government invests resources in providing an educational facility, but insecurity prevents the children for whom it was built from benefiting from it. This is not just a local concern. It represents a wider national failure that demands urgent attention. Building schools without guaranteeing the security of pupils, teachers and surrounding communities cannot deliver the desired educational outcomes.

One of the greatest dangers of neglecting education is its long-term implication for public safety and national stability. Widespread educational exclusion, when combined with poverty, unemployment, hopelessness and social neglect, creates conditions that criminal groups can easily exploit.

Young people who lack access to education, employable skills and legitimate economic opportunities become increasingly vulnerable to manipulation and recruitment into criminal activities. Banditry, insurgency, thuggery, human trafficking and other forms of social vices thrive in environments where vulnerable young people are easily exploited and where legitimate opportunities are limited.

Education provides more than certificates. It equips individuals with critical thinking, discipline, social awareness, problem-solving abilities and the capacity to identify and pursue productive opportunities. It also creates pathways to innovation, entrepreneurship, employment and wealth creation.

When these opportunities are denied to a generation, the consequences are not limited to the affected individuals or their immediate families. Society eventually bears the cost through increased insecurity, poverty, social instability and underdevelopment. That's exactly what is playing out at the moment.

We must therefore understand that investment in education is also an investment in security. Every child kept in school is a potential professional, entrepreneur, innovator, responsible citizen and contributor to society. My greatest concern is for children growing up in communities that have suffered repeated criminal attacks, displacement and economic hardship.

In parts of Nasarawa Local Government Area, particularly communities affected by insecurity, many children have lost access to basic education, as families displaced from their ancestral homes struggle to provide even the necessities of life, let alone meet educational expenses.

For children in such circumstances, the challenge is twofold: insecurity has taken away their sense of safety, while poverty continues to deny them access to learning opportunities.

We must not allow these children to become another forgotten generation.

The danger is that the consequences of today's neglect may not become fully visible until many years later, when the affected generation begins to compete for limited opportunities or becomes vulnerable to social and criminal exploitation. By then, the damage may be considerably more difficult and expensive to reverse.

This situation requires more than expressions of concern. It demands deliberate, coordinated and sustained action from government, traditional institutions, community leaders, parents, development organisations, the private sector and other stakeholders.

First, government at all levels must revisit policies that make basic education affordable and accessible. Public schools must be adequately funded, equipped and supervised. Necessary measures should be introduced to reduce the financial burden on poor households, including scholarships, bursaries, school feeding and targeted educational assistance.

Second, security around schools and vulnerable communities must be strengthened. Government should prioritise the protection of educational facilities, provide adequate security infrastructure and ensure that children in conflict-affected communities can return to school without fear.

Third, special educational intervention programmes should be designed for displaced children and communities affected by insecurity. Temporary learning centres, emergency school rehabilitation, learning materials and financial support for vulnerable families should form part of recovery efforts.

Fourth, traditional rulers, religious leaders, community-based organisations and civil society groups must intensify public enlightenment on the importance of education. Parents should be encouraged to prioritise the education of their children, especially the girl-child, notwithstanding prevailing economic and cultural challenges.

Fifth, the private sector, philanthropists and well-meaning individuals must recognise education as a shared responsibility. Through scholarships, sponsorships, community learning initiatives and the provision of educational materials, they can help bridge the gap confronting disadvantaged children.

There is also a need for reliable data to identify out-of-school children, understand why they are not attending school and develop practical solutions tailored to their circumstances. We cannot effectively address a problem we are unwilling to measure.

The future of any nation is inseparable from the quality of education available to its children. Roads, bridges, industries and other physical infrastructure are important, but none can substitute for the human capital required to sustain development.

We cannot sincerely desire a peaceful, prosperous and secure Nigeria while millions of children remain outside the classroom. We cannot complain about rising criminality while ignoring the conditions that make vulnerable young people easy targets for criminal recruitment.

The consequences of educational neglect are cumulative. Every child denied the opportunity to learn represents a potential loss to society. Every school abandoned because of insecurity is a setback to national development. Every family forced to withdraw its children because of poverty is another reminder that our educational system is failing those who need it most.

Government must act. Communities must rise to the challenge. Parents must remain committed, and privileged individuals must extend helping hands to those who cannot afford to educate their children. Above all, we must stop treating education as an expense that can be postponed and begin to recognise it as an indispensable investment in our collective survival.

A generation kept out of school today may become a burden the society will struggle to manage tomorrow. But a generation given access to quality education today can become the foundation of a peaceful, productive and prosperous Nigeria. The choice is ours. But we must not sacrifice the future of our children on the altar of neglect, poverty and insecurity.