Monday, September 6th 1976.
Footage of Lieutenant General Olusegun Obasanjo, the Nigerian military Head of State, launching the Universal Free Primary Education scheme in Lagos.
Up to this point in time, primary school education was optional, but the objective was for primary schooling to become compulsory by 1980. Under the programme, up to two and a half million Nigerian children from the age of six were given the right to go to school free of charge. Lieutenant General Obasanjo signed some of the new pupils into the register.
Transcript:
“Fellow Nigerians, school boys and girls. The launching of the Universal Free Primary Education scheme today marks the dawn of a new era in the history of educational development in this country. It also demonstrates the determination of the Federal Military Government to provide equal educational opportunities for all children of school age, irrespective of the circumstances of their birth. Every Nigerian child should regard basic education as his natural heritage, right and not a privilege. It is the civic obligation of the children to attend classes regularly and punctually, to study diligently, to be obedient and law abiding, to become good and patriotic citizens who will serve their fatherland faithfully and loyally in whatever positions they find themselves in the years that lie ahead.”
Source: Reuters News Footage.
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