Following the increased rate of deterioration in Nigeria’s education sector and the growing need displayed by many to seek standard education outside the country, the Barewa Old Boys’ Association (BOBA) has called for repositioning Alma groups.
Haroun Audu, the secretary-general of the association – alumni of the age-long boarding schools, Barewa College Zaria, Kaduna state – said education has suffered in Nigeria and alma mater groups need to pay attention to things happening in the system.
Barewa College Zaria is the alma mater of some notable Nigerians including the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, five Nigerian presidents – head of states inclusive – Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state, former ministers, chief justices of Nigeria among many others.
For Audu Nigerians can contribute to the improvement of the quality of education in Nigeria by giving back to their alma mater.
Speaking during an interaction with journalists in Abuja, Audu decried the high number of out-of-school children, especially in the northern part of the country.
In January 2022, the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that Nigeria’s education system would be facing an increased crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The international agency said that at least 10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria – the highest rate in the world and a full one-third of Nigerian children are not in school while one in five out-of-school children in the world is Nigerian.
Continuing Audu said the high number of children scattered on the streets across the country is an impending doom about to happen.
