Amnesty International (AI) in partnership with the French Embassy in Nigeria, on Monday in Abuja, commemorated the 2024 World Law Day by organising a debate on the legal foundation for the rights to education.
Programme Manager at Amnesty International, Barbara Magaji, noted if people are not aware of their rights, they would not know how to safeguard them.
He stressed that the day is important because it’s an opportunity to teach young minds about their rights, particularly the right to education.
Magaji stated: “Rights are attached to us as human beings. They’re not privileges that are granted by others but rather, they are deserved and should be demanded as long as you are a human being. “
Speaking in similar vein, Cooperation Attaché at the French Embassy, Mrs. Ketty Ris said education is a fundamental human right recognised globally.
She added that Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child all affirm every child’s right to education.
Rus noted: “With over 18.5 million children out-of-school, 60 per cent of them girls, this is a sad record, and not just a statistic, but the unrealised potential of millions of young people whose future depends on realizing their right to education.
“Through this debate, we aim to encourage critical thinking and advocacy skills in tomorrow’s young leaders.
“As we continue our debates, let’s not forget that education is not a privilege, but a right. It is the foundation on which societies are built, essential to developing a peaceful, prosperous, and just world.”
Also, Director of Clinical Legal Education at the University of Abuja, Dr. Nasir Muktar said the right to education is embedded in the constitution and can be enforced through frameworks like the Universal Basic Education Law and the Child Rights Act.
He said: “Nigeria’s education system was inherited from the British. “We have not sat down to ask ourselves what sort of education we need that befits our indigenous system, our culture, and our people. “
Adeyemi Sky, a 300-level law student and debate winner, noted that Nigeria allocates only five per cent of its budget to education.
According to him, UNESCO advises that more than 15 per cent to 20 per cent should be given to the educational sector, which is not being complied with, and which is leading to us having so many children who are not going to school.
Sky, however, advocated for making education a justiciable right in Nigeria.