Education is lifeline, driver of peace and security – UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has reiterated that education plays provital role in a global resource for learning and the acquisition of relevant skills for opportunities in today’s world.

The UNICEF Chief of Maiduguri Field Office, Phuong T. Nguyen, made the observation at the commemoration of the 2024 International Day of Education with the theme: “Learning for Lasting Peace,” held in Maiduguri on Wednesday.

Nguyen opined that education and inclusivity promote wellbeing while catalyzing peace.

She observed that for many children, the right to education has still not translated into the right to learn, hence the learning crises and other challenges that we are all trying to address.

“In northeast Nigeria and indeed, communities affected by conflict across the world, education is a platform for the delivery of inclusive learning and psychosocial support. For children in armed conflict situations, education is a unique lifeline. It is a driver of peace and security.

“Every International Day of Education affords us the opportunity to look at how far we have come, we cannot lose sight of the huge gaps that still exist in reaching the most disadvantaged children in rural communities with quality and inclusive education,” she said.

She lamented that more than half of all displaced children in the northeast of Nigeria are out of school while less than 40percent of primary and secondary schools in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states (BAY) have teachers with low level of teaching qualifications resulting in ineffective learning of children at the foundation level.

“In collaboration with the Government humanitarian partners and donors such as Education Cannot Wait (ECW), we have made huge strides in the provision of quality, inclusive education for children affected by conflict.

“More girls and children living with disabilities are enrolling in school through regular enrolment campaigns and the provision of conducive learning environment with sanitation facilities across the northeast region,’ Nguyen disclosed.

She added that more than half of all displaced children in northeast region are out of school and less than 40percent of schools in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states have low level qualified teachers.