The agony of children on the vibrant streets of Maiduguri, a disheartening sight unraveled daily as young children rush in between cars, carrying goods, and walk in crowded markets. Their weary faces show prove of hardship, lives shaped by hard labour rather than learning.
These children dream to be someone better but for many of them, education is am illusions and elusive dream. In a society where the right to education is often overlooked, it’s no surprise that the streets are filled with children who suppose be in school, armed with books and a freedom to dream good life.
Education is a fundamental right and a powerful tool to lift individuals out of poverty and toward a brighter future. Yet, countless children in Maiduguri are deprived of this opportunity. Around the world, children start each day with a lessons, activities, and the prospect of learning something new, but for childrens in Maiduguri, each day is a battle of survive. Their young faces, engraved with lines of struggles, they are robbed of better tomorrow, using their future to feed the moment.
This situation is so complex. It is easy to blame the overwhelmed system, and the other hand the issue also lies closer to home. For many parents, schooling feels is like an unattainable luxury. Generational poverty, a lack of opportunity, and the unyielding demands of survival have created a culture where formal education is undervalued or outrightly ignored. Children are viewed as assistant to the family’s income rather than individuals with a right to an education. As a result, some children roam round the streets without hope, while others are at risk of being withdrawn from school, even when their families could afford it, as parents prioritise immediate earnings over the future of their children.
For the parents that send their children to school, there’s often a lack of awareness about what education could mean for their futures. Although poverty and limited resources play a great role, the lack of motivation or outright refusal to recognise education’s value is deeply concerning. Unless there’s a shift in mindset, the education system in Maiduguri will continue to struggle, and children will remain bound to the streets rather than books.
Watching these children is heartbreaking. Boys in torn clothes going up and down in the traffic, selling sachets of water or snacks, while young girls carrying heavy loads on their heads under the scorching sun. These innocent eyes, already overwhelmed by life’s realities, stand little chance against the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and underemployment that traps so many families in Maiduguri. When education is neglected, their futures become an extension of their parents’ struggles, a continuation of hardship.
Although government initiatives and programs are designed to promote free education, they feel like mirage beautiful but distant. Of course there are schools, but the quality and issues of underfunded, lack proper facilities, and struggle to accommodate the overwhelming number of children who should be enrolled. The promise of free education seems empty without proper infrastructure to support it. For many families, these programs are invisible or perceived unaffordable. Without a robust support and encouragement from both government and community leaders, these children may never realize the opportunities that education could provide.
The government must and can play a more active role in other to change this narrative and restore the hope and future of this childrens. True free education requires commitment to improve funding, build more schools, recruiting competent and qualified teachers, and provide essential resources to ensure classrooms are equipped to meet the needs of every child. Creating an awareness for parents to know that these schools exist, and they can rely on them, by enrolling their children, they are building a path toward a bright future.
Education necessity and every children should have access to quality education. Therefore, Parents, community leaders, NGO’s and government officials must come together to ensure that Maiduguri’s children are given more than a life on the streets. Create community awareness initiatives, especially those targeting parents. Community leaders, religious groups, and influencers could champion this course and changes by highlighting education’s importance, emphasizing that a brighter future for their children begins with a knowledge.
Children in Maiduguri deserve more than a life of struggle, they deserve to dream, hope, and to learn. By investing in education, we are investing in the future not only for these children but the entire society. These young ones should not be denied this opportunity of living their lives outside classroom.
Fatima Goni, Department of mass communication, University of Maiduguri
