Nigeria has 20 Million out-of-school children – UNESCO
Nigeria now has about 20 million out-of-school children, according to the latest global data on out-of-school children by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). UNESCO says a new and improved methodology was used to arrive at the latest figures as there are 244 million children and youth between the ages of 6 and 18 worldwide who are still out of school. According to the statistics, India, Nigeria and Pakistan have the highest figures for out-of-school children globally. The figures in Nigeria have fluctuated between 10.5 million and around 15 million for over 10 years with the situation growing worse due to the degenerating security situation in the country. According to Silvia Montoya, the Director of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, efficient use of the available data is important to address the gaps towards achieving the fourth goal of the SDGs.
Nigeria to host first-ever Basketball reality Show in Lagos
Africa StarX hyped as Nigeria’s first-ever basketball reality show, is set to kick off in Lagos in the last quarter of the year. Benjamin Peters, the project’s initiator, unveiled the first season of the sports reality show at an event at the Ibis Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos. The organisers introduced sports journalist Femi Adefeso as the show host and Ogoh Odaudu, Chris Domingo, Taiye Adeniyi, Shola Shomala, Adewunmi Aderemi, and Abdulrahman Mohammed as coaches for the participants. Peters described the reality show as a fusion of sports, lifestyle and entertainment, focusing on basketball this season. ‘’The project has been designed as a platform to give opportunities to talented sportsmen to showcase their talents and get to the zenith of their careers through management and endorsement deals that we would be providing for the eventual winner,” he said.
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ASUU gives fresh conditions to end strike
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has blamed the federal government for misplaced priority and insincerity in handling the impasse even as the union stated conditions for calling off the lingering strike. Emmanuel Osodeke, the president of ASUU said for the strike to be called off, the federal government must have told the lecturers the actual amount meant for the revitalisation of Nigeria’s university system and where exactly it is lodged. He added that the federal government has to clearly explain to Nigerians and ASUU its position as regards the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), and that the Nimi Briggs panel’s recommendations must be implemented for the union to call off the strike. “The federal government has to clearly state its position concerning the UTAS, a payroll system created by ASUU as a replacement for the Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system (IPPIS).”
Emirates returns to Nigeria with reduced flights
Emirates, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) airline has suspended flight to Nigeria as earlier announced over the difficulty in repatriating funds from ticket sales. However, the Airline would resume again on September 11 following the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release $256 million, being part payment of the entire blocked funds belonging to foreign carriers. Prior to this release, Emirates had reduced its flights to Nigeria from 11 to seven by mid-August and said it would suspend all flights from Nigeria by September 1. In line with the announcement, the airline has closed fresh bookings on the website and the platform for travel agents as the suspension has taken effect. However, the intervention by the CBN, saw many foreign airlines including British Airways reviewing their initial plans to leave the Nigerian Market.
UNESCO Chief calls for transforming Education in Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the most children out of school, 98 million, and it is also the only region where the number is increasing. The Central and Southern Asia region has the second highest out-of-school population, with 85 million. “No one can accept this situation. In view of these results, the objective of quality education for all by 2030 set by the United Nations, risks not being achieved. We need a global mobilization to place education at the top of the international agenda,” Audrey Azoulay, the UNESCO Director-General, said. To close the gender gap, the UNESCO data has confirmed that the difference in the rate of girls and boys out of school has closed worldwide. Back in 2000, the gender gap was 2.5 percentage points among primary school age children, and 3.9 percentage points among their upper secondary school counterparts. These gaps have been reduced to zero, although regional disparities persist.
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