UNICEF wants action against out-of-school children in Nigeria

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has emphasized the need for a collective approach to address the high number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

Speaking at a two-day regional stakeholders meeting on out-of-school children and retention, transition and completion models for the Southwest Region of Nigeria held in Ibadan, Azuka Menkiti, UNICEF Education Specialist, stressed that the commitment from State Governments and education stakeholders is crucial to addressing barriers impeding retention, transition, and completion of secondary education.

She said that UNICEF had successfully tested intervention programmes that State Governments could replicate to minimize the number of out-of-school children in their States.

The meeting brought together Education Commissioners, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Chairmen, Directors and Permanent Secretaries, Religious Leaders, Civil Societies from Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Ogun, and Oyo States to discuss proven intervention models that can be adapted to individual State contexts.

Menkiti highlighted UNICEF’s goals to ensure adolescents have access to secondary education, equipped with knowledge and skills to complete secondary education, transition into work or further education and training.

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She also emphasized the importance of addressing social norms that keep children out of school, creating access to quality learning opportunities and scaling up foundational literacy and numeracy programes.

Citing National Bureau of Statistics and UNICEF’s Multiple Cluster Survey (MICS) 2021, Menkiti revealed that 39% of poorest girls attend primary school and that 41% of primary school students remain in school by the end of junior secondary school.

She said, according to the survey, 73% of children between ages 7-14 demonstrate functional reading skills, 43% of children with functional difficulties are in primary school.

Also speaking, Babagana Aminu, another UNICEF Education Specialist, emphasized the low rates of school completion and retention among children in the region.

Aminu noted that out of the six million children who enrol in primary education annually, one million do not progress to lower secondary school.

He quoted the MICS 2021, stating that the education completion rate in the Southwest Region was 92.6% for primary education, 85.3% for lower secondary, and 72.9% for upper secondary.

Aminu called on the Government and all stakeholders in education to take action and address the issues at hand.

Muhammad Okorie, officer in charge, UNICEF Lagos office, said education is a right that cannot wait and requires collective action from all stakeholders to ensure that no child is left behind, stressing “We need to bring back those who have dropped out and ensure that they receive quality education that is transformative.”

Okorie noted that while retention rates may seem impressive, flipping the perspective to focus on those left behind reveals a more pressing issue.

He cited MICS 2021 data showing that 85% of children in the region complete lower secondary education, while 72.9% complete upper primary education, leaving a significant percentage without access to quality education.

He emphasized the responsibility of government, traditional institutions, civil society organizations, and family members to ensure that all children receive quality education.