UNICEF worries over out-of-school children

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

United Nation Children Fund (UNICEF) has expressed worry over out-of-school syndrome that has posed threat to achieving Universal Basic Education targets and Sustainable Development Goals in the education sector, especially in the North.
Chief Field Officer of UNICEF in Kaduna, Dr. Zakari Adam at the one day high-level meeting on education sector planning yesterday in Minna said that the trend was worrisome and affect retention at basic education level, while tasking stakeholders to devise an enduring mechanism of stemming the tide through effective planning and implementation of same.
He said because of the anomaly child labour and abuse are on the rise across the region.
The UNICEF Field officer observed that while much has been achieved in the area of girl-child enrolment and retention in the affected area, a lot need to be done to bridge the education gap between the two genders on the one hand, and southern part of the country on the other.
He said decision and policy makers need to be adequately sensitized to ensure utilizing evidence-based education plans that would ensure that children are in school and also making school environment conducive for teaching and learning.
The Niger State Governor, Alhjai Abubakar Sani Bello represented by the commissioner of Education, Hajiya Fatima Madugu underscored the importance of the meeting on the sector, saying appropriate planning would further strengthen policy decision and implementation in the sector.
He promised that the state government would continue to work with UNICEF and other stakeholders towards enhancing the standard of education in the state and country at large.