Examining the effect of religious and cultural practices on the right to free and compulsory basic education of children in northern Nigeria

Abstract

The significance of education to human existence and the smooth functioning of society cannot be over emphasised. Thissignificance has prompted world leaders to pledge through various international legal and non-legal instruments to make the provision of education, especially basic education free and compulsory to its citizens. Nigeria, as part of fulfilling this pledge or international obligation, has established measures in the form of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) scheme to provide free and compulsory basic education for all children in Nigeria. However the success of this policy in achieving its objective of providing free and compulsory basic education for all children in Nigeria is hampered by certain religious and cultural practices prevalent in certain part of the country. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which religious and cultural practices such as Almajiri and early child marriage for girls affect access to basic education of children in northern Nigeria.