By Abdussamad Mas’ud Umar
Education is a human right and, like other human rights, it cannot be taken for granted. Across the world, 59 million children and 65 million adolescents are out of school. More than 120 million children do not complete primary education. Behind these figures, there are children and youths being denied not only a right, but opportunities like the right to get a decent job, escape poverty, support their families, and develop their communities. This year, diction makers will set the priorities for global development for the next 15 years. They should make sure to place education high on the list. But we must not stop with primary education in today’s knowledge-driven economies, access to quality education and the chances of development are two sides of the same coin. That is why we must also target secondary education while improving quality and learning outcomes at all levels.
Abdussamad Mas’ud Umar is of Rumfa College, Kano
