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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.

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]