Kaduna - The Kaduna State Government on Tuesday decried the low turn-out of students in public schools, more than two weeks after the Sallah break.
The government said it was more worried that only a few of the new intakes into Junior and Senior Secondary Schools had resumed classes across the state.
The Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Education, Mrs Jummai Adamu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna that the state government was seriously monitoring the situation.
Adamu appealed to parents and guardians to send their children back to school as the first term examinations would soon commence.
`` School activities have commenced fully, yet some of these students have not resumed since after the Sallah break.
``Most of the defaulters are JSS and SS one students.''
She warned that the state government would not hesitate to take appropriate action if such attitude continued.
Adamu reiterated the commitment of the state government towards reviving the ailing education sector for rapid socio-economic growth and to curtail social vices among youths.
She noted that poor attendance of schools would affect the attainment of the state government's transformation agenda in the education sector.
A mother, Mrs. Murna Sunday, told NAN that the late resumption was largely due to financial constraints.
She said most families have very low income, hence it would be difficult to send their children back to school, especially the new intake.
Danjuma Ali, however, blamed some parents for nonchalant attitude towards the education of their wards.
Ali stressed the need for poor parents to take education seriously, as it would ``emancipate them from poverty''.
`` When you educate a child, it is not just the state that would benefit from it. The family, as well as the community would also reap from the investment spent to train the child.’’
NAN