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The right to education is identified as a crucial and classical right. This classification is premised on the fact that it provides the basis on which an individual has the potential to transform their status and build their desired personality. Additionally, it is the basis on which society is projected to be transformed and set on a better pedestal, with individuals playing positive roles. The recognition of the right, though emanating from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) received only tacit recognition through other treaties. The Maputo Protocol recognises the right to education, as it flows from the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. This commentary, therefore, examines the right to education as enshrined in the Maputo Protocol with the aim of restating the grounds covered in the protection of female children and women and exposing lost opportunities. Finally, it makes recommendations on how the lost ground can be covered and give better content and scope to the right to education.

Educating a child with special needs or disability in Nigeria continues to raise concerns of a lack of quality. While education is provided for in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, it is seen as more of an obligation than a right by the majority of Nigerians. From the Nigerian child with a hearing impairment to the one with vision or mobility challenges, the question of their rights in education remain violated and neglected. The absence of equal treatment affects the dignity of the Nigerian child. It is on the above premise that the authors adopt a multidisciplinary approach to analysing the education of children with special needs in Nigeria. The study draws from international and national legal frameworks and argues that more needs to be done to ensure quality in education. In addition, the study advances the legal basis for holding governments accountable for failing to meet its obligations in the education of the Nigerian child. The paper is structured in different sections which deal with the legal framework, conceptual clarifications, and the advancement of the basis for demanding equal and quality education for the Nigerian child. Finally, the paper makes some conclusions and recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nigeria and Uganda have both ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and have enacted domestic legislations that provide for the promotion and protection of the rights and welfare of children. Sadly, child marriage still exists and is one of the leading causes of morbidity and school dropout among children in both countries. This paper examines the legal and policy frameworks for combating child marriage and highlights the trends, challenges and prospects from a socio-legal perspective. It reveals a number of systematic procedural problems in the legal and policy apparatus for addressing child marriage. In responding to these challenges, the authors argue that the Nigerian and Ugandan governments should enhance access to basic education and initiate institutional reforms pertinent to the legal framework for effective enforcement of the laws that address child marriage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]