Nigeria, Feb. 12 -- Some heads of public primary schools in Akwa Ibom State have explained why a pupil's attendance has been low since the beginning of the term.

Some head teachers of public primary schools in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area blamed low school attendance on farming activities.

Encouraged by Governor Umo Eno's administration's support for farming and rural development, many Akwa Ibom residents are into subsistence and commercial farming, particularly in the rural areas.

"Parents have taken some of their wards to farm because this is a farming season," Emilia Benson-Aqua, the headteacher of St. Patrick Catholic School, Ibekwe Akpanya/Ikot Itina in Mkpat Enin, told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday.

Mrs Benson-Aqua's statement was...