No child should suffer due to policy—Child Rights International

Child Rights International, a non-governmental organization, has asserted that no child should bear the brunt of negligence or systemic flaws in policy implementation.

According to the organization, the well-being and best interest of the child should be the paramount consideration in every decision, adding that under no circumstances should the child be affected by the lack of basic necessities, including food.

In a press release dated January 11, 2025, Child Rights International objected to the call on parents and guardians to provide food for their wards in Senior High Schools, emphasizing that shifting government responsibilities to parents compromises the fundamental purpose of the policy.

“Any efforts to transfer responsibilities, such as feeding to parents, undermine the core intent of the policy and create inequities it was designed to address,” it stated.

The organization appealed to stakeholders to collaborate with the government to secure necessary resources, ensuring the policy’s continuation, rather than transferring the burden of responsibility to parents and guardians.

Background:

The national secretary of CHASS, Primus Baro, in an interview urged parents to support the government’s Free Senior High School Program by providing their children with food items for use, explaining that feeding the students had become challenging because of limited resources.

“I encourage parents, and I have already advised my PTA to this effect, to let their children bring food like gari, shitor, and sugar to supplement whatever the school provides. I urge parents across the country, as the food situation has still not improved in the past two and three years, and it has worsened at this particular time,” he said.