UNICEF, Southwest states unite to tackle out-of-school crisis
The United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has partnered with the six southwestern states of Nigeria to address the growing challenge of out-of-school children in the region.
This commitment was solidified during a two-day regional stakeholders’ meeting held in Ibadan, Oyo State, focusing on the issues of retention, transition, and completion in education across Ekiti, Ondo, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, and Ogun states.
UNICEF’s Chief of Lagos Field Office, Mohammed Okorie, emphasized that the meeting was a demonstration of the agency’s dedication to ensuring that every child has access to free, quality education. He noted that the dialogue brought together key stakeholders from the six states to discuss intervention strategies, establish key performance indicators, and develop localized action plans to address the out-of-school crisis in the region.
Okorie highlighted the urgency of addressing the problem of out-of-school children and the low rates of retention, transition, and completion in education. He urged the state governments to create and implement targeted intervention programs that would eliminate barriers to free and quality basic education.
UNICEF Education Specialist Azuka Menkiti underscored the need for states to adopt models focused on retention, transition, and completion to effectively combat the out-of-school crisis.
She pointed out that reducing the number of out-of-school children could be achieved by expanding access to secondary education, improving the quality of learning, and strengthening support systems through effective policies, budgeting, and implementation plans.
Menkiti also called for increased funding for the education sector, particularly secondary education, which she argued has been neglected in terms of infrastructure, equipment, and teacher quality. She stressed that a higher budgetary allocation for secondary education would significantly enhance the sector and help reduce the alarming number of out-of-school children.
UNICEF Education Specialist, Mr. Babagana Aminu, highlighted retention as a major challenge in the Southwest. He stressed the importance of creating sustainable solutions to ensure that every Nigerian child has the opportunity to complete their education. Aminu also emphasized the need to reintegrate adolescents who have dropped out back into the formal education system.
Aminu cited data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), revealing that nearly eight percent of children in the Southwest are out of school. However, he pointed out that the more concerning issue is retention—ensuring that children who enroll in school complete their education. He concluded by stressing the importance of addressing this issue to improve educational outcomes in the region.
Credit: The Nation
