Project EduRescue: Edo Govt Orders Arrest of Children Found Out of School During School Hours From September 14

Edo Begins EduRescue Campaign Ahead of September 14 School Resumption

The Edo State Ministry of Education has commenced a statewide sensitization campaign to encourage parents and guardians to ensure that school-age children return to the classroom when the new academic session begins on Monday, September 14, 2026.

The campaign, tagged “Project EduRescue: From Street to School,” was flagged off in Benin City by the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Washington Osifo, as officials moved through parts of the metropolis to remind parents of the approaching resumption date.

The exercise is centred on a simple message from the ministry: “Straight to school, one child at a time.”

Officials of the ministry visited several locations, including markets, where they spoke with traders, transport workers, business owners and other members of the public about the need to keep children in school.

Handbills were distributed during the exercise, while public address systems were used to broadcast messages about the September 14 resumption.

At the New Benin Market, Osifo personally engaged traders and other members of the public, urging parents to make adequate preparations for their children’s return to school.

The commissioner said the campaign was primarily intended to ensure that parents were aware of the resumption date and understood their responsibility to ensure that children of school age are in school.

He stressed that education remains essential to the future of every child and called on parents not to allow financial or other considerations to keep their children away from the classroom.

Edo Government Warns Parents Against Child Hawking During School Hours

The ministry also issued a strong warning to parents and guardians who deliberately keep school-age children away from school to engage in hawking, trading or other forms of labour during school hours.

Osifo said the government would take action against children found on the streets during school hours instead of being in school.

According to the commissioner, the Ministry of Education and the EduRescue team have the mandate to take action against students, parents and guardians who deliberately keep children out of school.

He warned that children found hawking or engaged in other activities during school hours could be taken into custody, while their parents or guardians could face prosecution in line with the laws of Edo State.

The warning forms part of the government’s wider effort to tackle the problem of children being kept out of school for economic and other reasons.

Officials Take Campaign to Markets and Public Spaces

The campaign was not limited to government offices or schools.

Education officials took the message directly to public spaces and commercial areas, where they interacted with people who have daily contact with children.

The ministry said the aim was to reach parents and other members of the community before schools reopen, rather than wait until children have already resumed classes.

The campaign also places emphasis on the role of the wider community in ensuring that children return to school.

Market traders, transport operators and business owners were urged to discourage children from engaging in commercial activities during school hours.

Ministry Says Schools Are Ready for Resumption

Osifo also assured parents that the Edo State Government was prepared for the commencement of teaching and learning activities in the new academic session.

The commissioner said the government was working to ensure that schools begin the session on a sound footing.

The September 14 resumption date will mark the beginning of a new academic session for schools across the state.

The EduRescue campaign is expected to continue taking the back-to-school message to communities as the resumption date approaches.

For parents and guardians, the ministry’s message is clear: school-age children are expected to return to the classroom when schools reopen, and the government says it will take action where children are deliberately kept out of school for hawking or other activities during school hours.

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