UNICEF says lack of teachers, classrooms affect children’s education

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has identified inadequate evidence-based policy and planning, limited budget allocation as well as significant shortages qualified teachers and classrooms as obstacles that prevent school attendance, timely enrolment, and completion of education for all Nigerian children.

Tushar Rane, the Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, made this known while delivering goodwill message to participants at a two-day Regional Stakeholders Engagement Meeting on Out-of-School Children and the Retention, Transition, and Completion Models in Bauchi, Gombe, and Adamawa States.

Rane said that poor infrastructure, cultural norms, health and safety worries, and dependence on children for income and household tasks are other impediments to school attendance, timely enrolment, and completion of education for all Nigerian children.

Tushar said, “UNICEF is deeply concerned with the rate of out-of-school children, and low learning achievement in the Country, especially in the North-east and North-west regions.”

He noted that, in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission, a National Framework of Action had been developed to Reduce the Number of Out-of-School Children in Nigeria and the “Retention, Transition, and Completion (RTC) Model”.

Rane added that the model would ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, saying the framework and RTC model would guide respective States in confronting the Out-of-School Children phenomenon.

He further explained that the framework would also strengthen the community accountability and mobilization, use of innovations and technologies to increase access to quality learning and financing of Out-of-School Children in all the States mentioned.