UNICEF has reported that Nigeria now has 18.3 million out-of-school children, the highest number globally. This alarming statistic was revealed by Dr. Tushar Rane, Chief of the Bauchi Field Office, during a two-day Regional Stakeholders Engagement Meeting in Gombe. Dr. Rane highlighted that only 63% of primary school-age children regularly attend school and only 84% transition to junior secondary education after completing primary school. Contributing factors include inadequate policies, limited budgets, teacher and classroom shortages, poor infrastructure, cultural norms, health and safety issues, and child labor. To tackle these issues, UNICEF is working with the Universal Basic Education Commission to create a National Framework of Action and a Retention, Transition, and Completion Model to reduce the number of out-of-school children and improve school retention and transition rates. The meeting aimed to develop targeted strategies to address these challenges.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/05/nigerias-out-of-school-children-now-18-3m-unicef
