10.5m Children Out of School in Nigeria – UNICEF

UNICEF representative in the country, Ms. Jean Gough has said that 10.5 million children in Nigeria were out of school, adding that the situation was worsening with the insecurity situation in the north.

Gough, however, said that the situation was unacceptable, as, according to her, available resources were enough to put them in school.

“The problem is children cannot wait. So we have to intervene for them at the appropriate time or we lose them.”

She spoke at the Children’s Day celebration in Abuja.

The Universal Basic Education, UBE, Gough emphasized had committed quite a lot of funds in this regard.

She however, reiterated that government at all levels and corporate organisations should reinvigorate the oversight and monitoring frameworks to ensure the funds were judiciously applied.

She noted that an interim measure to use in school is the box approach to continue the education of all children currently displaced, especially in Borno State which is the epicentre of the Boko Haram sect.

Gough also noted that the quality of education in Nigeria was also an issue, as many students were unable to read and write.