Zamfara Govt. To Stop School Children Hawking During School Hours

Zamfara State Government says its proposed bill in the state House of Assembly will stop school-age children from hawking during school hours in the state.

Gov. Bello Matawalle disclosed this in an interview after receiving an Award of Excellence for teachers’ welfare in Enugu on Wednesday.

The award was from Association of Primary School Head Teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON) in Enugu.

Matawalle, who was represented by the Chairman, Zamfara State Universal Basic Education Board (ZSUBEB), Alhaji Abubakar Maradun, said that the government would not leave any child behind in its resolve to ensure that each child gets basic, compulsory and free education.

According to him, the bill will also seek to assist the government see that all school-age children are in school to get basic educational learning.

“We have already engaged various committees going to all nooks and crannies in the state and it involves traditional rulers and various Quranic mallams and other stakeholders.

“Their mission is to sensitise parents and guardians in the state to see that our compulsory schooling and modern education programme for all was achieved.

“We also intend to provide teachers and instructional materials for children in Quranic Schools under mallams and the children will learn both forms of education at the same time.

“We are also going to provide basic schools, teachers and instructional materials for the nomadic Fulani children so that their children will converge and be taught on each school day.

“For parents that outrightly send their children to hawk instead of going to school; the bill when passed and signed into law, will take care of this challenge,” he said.

He, however, said the government will support some of the indigent families with little stipend following compliance to compulsory and free education in the state.