69% of 10.5 Million Out-Of-School Children In Northern Nigeria – UNICEF

BY AMOS TAUNA, KADUNA – Deputy Representative, UNICEF Nigeria, Pernille Ironside, has observed that of the 10.5 million children aged 6 – 14 out of school in Nigeria, 69 per cent of them are in northern part of the country. She noted that Bauchi state has the highest number of out-of-school children of 1.1 million and Katsina comes in second with 781,500 children out of school.
Speaking in Kaduna on Wednesday on Northern Nigeria Traditional Leaders Conference on Out-of-School Children, she observed that many parents in northern Nigeria prefer Islamic education over formal education, but they are not mutually exclusive, adding that children need both.
She explained, “They (children) also have a right to learn to read a write, mathematics, and develop the knowledge and skills that will enable them to be contributing citizens of Nigeria.
“One approach to address both needs is the integration of basic education subjects into Islamic centres: Qur’anic, Islamiyya and Tsangaya to reach more children with basic education skills. Approximately 26 % of Muslim children in northern Nigeria only attend Islamic education.”
She recalled that in 1999, Nigeria took a bold step by declaring its commitment to provide free basic education for all children, stressing that this commitment was followed by the establishment of the Universal Basic Education Commission in 2004 to enable the Government to fulfil its commitment to provide free basic education for all children.
UNICEF deputy representative said, “While these are commendable actions towards guaranteeing the right to education for all Nigerian children, we at UNICEF are concerned about the slow progress.”
She lamented that the out-of-school children lose out on hope and the future they can have for themselves, their families, their communities and their country.
“Nigeria loses out on a literate and skilled workforce it needs to grow economically. Nigeria needs to take leap front to bring more children into education and into learning Partnerships and collective actions are essential,” Ironside explained.
She added, “UNICEF recognizes the importance of the Northern Nigeria Traditional Leaders Conference on Out-of School Children and the key role of traditional institutions in northern Nigeria to positively influence parents and ensure that children under their Councils are literate
“UNICEF recognizes the leadership of his Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto for this conference and the partnership with the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development, FME, UBEC and NMEC as well as development partners in changing the story of children in their communities. By working together, we can give all children in Nigeria the right to read and write
“When we invest in our children, we invest in our collective future. On behalf of UNICEF, I would like to once again encourage the establishment of a strong partnership between the traditional leaders, government and civil society to engage at the community level with parents and influence the political decisions to ensure the right to quality education for all children in Nigeria.
“For Nigeria to achieve its Sustainable Development Goal targets for education, this is essential. Only quantum leaps today will enable Nigeria to achieve its social and economic goals for the future.
“If all the traditional leaders gathered here today to commit to key actions within their jurisdiction and beyond, mobilize parents, remove barriers, and advocate to relevant government agencies to increase funding can we make a real change in children’s lives across Nigeria. Every child in school and learning to reach their full potential, the full potential of Nigeria.”