Inside Nasarawa’s New Tough Love Policy: Should Parents Be Prosecuted for Out-of-School Children?

Dr Kassim Muhammed Kassim, Executive Chairman of the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board

Nasarawa State has taken a tough new stance. The Executive Chairman of the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Kassim Muhammed Kassim, announced during the NSUBEB Education Summit in Lafia that parents who keep their children out of school will now face prosecution. He insisted that basic education is a right, not a luxury, and warned that the state would no longer tolerate neglect.

However, as the cheering and clapping settled in the Late Aliyu Akwe Doma Banquet Hall, the real question lingered: Is prosecuting parents the solution, or is it another policy that may punish the poor for problems created by the government itself?

Across the state’s 13 LGAs, the reasons children stay out of school are complex. Teachers like Mrs Hadiza Umar, from Akwanga, say, “You cannot jail a parent who is choosing between school fees and food.” Child-rights advocates, including Barrister Maryam Abdullahi, argued that before threatening parents, the government must first address crumbling classrooms, shortages of desks, and a severe shortage of qualified teachers. Even Dr Kassim admitted the system is struggling as 1,900 teachers were recently redeployed from office work back to classrooms due to shortages.

Parents also have their own fears. In places like Awe, farmers’ unions say farm insecurity forces children to hawk or herd cattle for survival. Representatives of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) maintain that nomadic communities need flexible schooling, not punishment. Religious leaders, such as Rev. Sunday Audu of ECWA Lafia, warn that prosecution could worsen tensions, especially in poor rural areas.

When compared with states like Kano, Kaduna, and Edo, where similar laws exist, the story is mixed. In 2021, Kaduna State attempted enforcement, but little has changed since then because poverty and insecurity have made prosecution largely ineffective. In Kano, several years after the government announced similar measures, there has been no significant reduction in the number of out-of-school children. Edo, facing similar problems, adopted a more innovative community-based engagement model, focusing on incentives rather than punishment. There has been a noticeable improvement in enrollment.

Legal experts like Barrister Samuel Okoh say Nasarawa’s law is valid, but warn that “justice must consider context.” Punishing parents without fixing structural failures may simply widen inequality.

Even community leaders ask another question: Is the government truly innocent? Poor infrastructure, unpaid teachers, insecurity, and a lack of economic opportunities push many children out of school well before parents can make any choice.

Ultimately, Nasarawa’s tough-love policy raises a moral question: Will prosecution protect children or harm struggling families? The answer depends on whether the government tackles the real causes—or simply finds an easier target.