UNICEF confirms 7m girl-children not in school, Kano ranks second
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
About 7.6 million mostly Northern girl-children are not attending school in Nigeria, the United Nations Children’s Func (UNICEF) has alerted, redrawing attention to the consequences of bad governance that neglects educating citizens.
In Nigeria, on paper, the first nine years of education – six years of primary and the first three years of secondary school – are free, called Universal Basic Education (UBE), leading to a Basic Education Certificate (BEC).
In reality, however, many states fail to pay the counterpart funding required for them to access the basic education fund ring-fenced at the federal treasury.
Therefore, the states, particularly in the North ,either do not have funds to adequately fund basic education at all, or the money for it is stolen by government officials.
Cristian Munduate, UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, spoke in Kano on out-of-school girls during the commemoration of the International Day of the Girl 2023 with the theme: “Our time is now – our rights, our future”.
She said while the accomplishments of girls give hope, the bigger picture presents an shocking reality as 7.6 million girls in Nigeria are deprived of those very opportunities.
“Nigeria, alarmingly, accounts for 15% of out-of-school children worldwide. Yet, only a mere 9% of the poorest girls have the chance to attend secondary school. This is not just a statistic, it’s a wake-up call.
“However, amidst these challenges, we find glimmers of hope,” she added.
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Kano ranks second in number of out-of-school girls
Munduate disclosed Kano ranks second in the number of out-of-school girls in Nigeria and stressed the need, more than ever, to emphasise the transformative power of education that both creates opportunities and actively breaks cycles of poverty, per Daily Post.
In her view, the sparkle witnessed in pupils at the event is a testament to the boundless potential that lies within every girl-child as their capabilities illustrate the outcomes possible when a girl is empowered.
The pupils at a panel of discussion spoke on various issues, including the challenges of insecurity as a major barrier to girl-child education, as well as the need for girls to participate in many sectors of human endeavour.
