Nasarawa SUBEB threatens legal action against parents who fail to enrol children in school
The Executive Chairman of the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Kassim Muhammed-Kassim, has issued a stern warning to parents who fail to enrol their children in school, stating that legal action will be taken against defaulters.
Dr. Muhammed-Kassim made the announcement on Thursday during the opening ceremony of a one-day Education Summit organised by SUBEB at the Late Aliyu Akwe Doma Banquet Hall in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
The summit, aimed at revitalising basic education across the state’s 13 local government areas, brought together education stakeholders to address systemic challenges such as teacher shortages, illegal promotions, substandard school infrastructure, and truancy among staff.
“Basic education is a fundamental right of every child, not a privilege. We will enforce this right to ensure that no child is left behind,” Dr. Muhammed-Kassim stated.
He also revealed that the board planned to embark on a massive awareness campaign, deploying seven minibuses to reach all communities in the state to sensitise parents and guardians on the need to enrol their children in school.
The SUBEB chairman also addressed administrative inefficiencies within the education sector, condemning overstaffing in local government education offices, illegal loan deductions by banks through Education Secretaries, and other corrupt practices.
He noted that about 3,000 professional teachers were illegally posted to administrative positions, and the board had redeployed 1,900 teachers back to classrooms, with another 1,000 to follow.
Dr. Muhammed-Kassim also discussed efforts to improve school infrastructure, noting that nine substandard contracts, including staff quarters at SMART School, Lafia, were revoked, saving the state N101 million.
He emphasised community engagement, stating that meetings would be held in every LGA for herders, community leaders, and parents of out-of-school children.
“We will let them realise that they must compulsorily enrol their children and wards in schools, or face sanctions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Governor Abdullahi Sule, who declared the summit open, announced plans for significant developmental projects in the state.
He said some of these projects included the groundbreaking of a $90 million paper mill in Keffi Local Government Area and the construction of twin flyovers in Mararaba, Karu LGA, aimed at alleviating traffic congestion on the Abuja-Keffi Expressway.
Governor Sule commended President Bola Tinubu’s economic and fiscal reforms, which he said have provided states like Nasarawa with the financial capacity to embark on such capital-intensive projects.
He also praised Dr. Muhammed-Kassim for initiating the education summit and expressed confidence that the gathering of education stakeholders would address the sector’s challenges.
As part of the summit’s activities, Governor Sule commissioned chairs for distribution to schools across the state and the seven minibuses that will be used for sensitisation campaigns across all 13 local government areas.
With these measures, Nasarawa State is taking decisive steps toward ensuring universal basic education and improving learning outcomes for its children, while simultaneously investing in infrastructure to support sustainable development.
