Fuel Subsidy Removal: Arabic Centre Laments Effect on Students’ Performance 

The Management of Baraje Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Ilorin, Kwara State, North Central Nigeria, has lamented the effect of fuel subsidy removal on its students’ performance in the just concluded academic session.

The management said the inability of parents and guardians to transport their children and wards to the centre, following the hike in transportation cost, resulted in the students’ absence from school.

The centre, which is owned by the former acting national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, had been transporting students free of charge until the fuel subsidy removal and the attendant hike in fuel pump price.

In his address on Saturday at the 2022/2023 graduation ceremony of the students held in Ilorin, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Retired Justice Solihu Muhammed, lamented the situation.

“The 2022/2023 academic session has witnessed a lot of absenteeism from both pupils and students largely due to non-availability of the centre’s transportation, either due to breakdown of our vehicles or insufficient fuel to make two or three trips for the day.

Parents and guardians often allowed their wards/ children to remain at home instead of assisting them with transport fare to attend classes.

The effect of this attitude of non-attendance of classes has shown clearly in the promotion examination results with the highest recorded failures of the centre since inception.

“It’s, therefore, on this note that the board is seeking the cooperation and assistance of parents/ guardians to ensure day-to-day attendance of their wards/ children in classes so as not to have unwanted failures this outgoing session,” he said.

Centre Graduates 139 Students

The board chairman, who said a total of one hundred and thirty-nine (139) students were graduating, restated the centre’s commitment to producing leaders that are morally and spiritually upright.

The Proprietor of the Centre, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, thanked the staff and management of the school for their commitment to a sound, moral, and spiritual education.

Moral and Spiritual Education

Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje said that there was a greater need for stakeholders to provide Nigerian youths with a sound, moral, and spiritual education to enable them to become responsible citizens.

Baraje also congratulated the graduands, urging them not to relent in the pursuit of academic excellence.

He said he found it inspiring that four out of the academic staff of the centre recently bagged a PhD in various disciplines.

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