By Abubakar Tukur According to UNICEF there are more than 20 million out of school children in Nigeria and according to malala fund the coun...
By Abubakar Tukur
According to UNICEF there are more than 20 million out of school children in Nigeria and according to malala fund the country accounted for 20% out of school children in the world with nearly 20 million OOSC in which 38 percent are girls. Early marriage, poverty, gender discrimination are part of the reason that contributed to the high Out of school girls in the country. It is estimated that there are 10.2 million (25.6%) drop out in the primary school where as 8.1 million (29.6%) in the junior secondary school. The girls almost caught up with the boys at primary school with 0.99 ratio and surpassed boys in junior secondary school with ratio of 1.08. The report says that one in three is out of school in Nigeria.
In his remark at the World girls child day 2024, the vice president Kashim Shatima express his concern over the rising figures for school drop out in Nigeria adding that ‘’every out of school children is future liability, thread for Nigeria’’ there is a need for collaborative efforts to reduce the high number of out of school children in nigeria, he said. Part of the reason is lack of funding to education sector. In 2023 Nigeria budget to education is N1.08 trillion representing 8.8 percent of the total budget, while in 2024 the sector got N1.54 trillion representing 6.39 percent of the over all budget. Going by the UNESCO’s recommendation, Nigeria should spend 15-20 percent of its annual budget on education sector. Both the 2023, 2024 budgetary allocation on education failed to meet UNESCO’s recommendations.
Kaduna state is also embattling the out of school children. Despite ¼ budgetary allocation to education in the state which amount to N71.6 billion (25.19 percent to overall budget), the menance still remain order of the day in the state.
According to Kaduna state Bereau of statistics, kaduna state is estimated to have more than 2,111,969 OOSC from 2021/2022. The number declined to 1,734,704 between 2022/2023. The state educational system is facing a crisis of declining in enrolment especially in some Local Government affected by insecurity in the state such as Chikun, Kajuru, Birnin-Gwari, Giwa and Igabi in which 135 schools were closed. According to the state governor Mal. Uba Sani said, Insecurity reduced school enrolment in the state, adding that efforts is underway to merged the affected schools with those in safe locations to enable the pupils to continue their education.
Hadiza umar team leader and founder “ HOPE FOR COMMUNITIES AND CHILDREN” based in Kaduna state, stressed that lack of awareness about free and compulsory education in the state, school distance, culture, norms, child marriage, rape, lack of train teachers are other contributing factor to school drop out in the state. She added that the government should put in place gender responsive education planning (GRESP) in their education sector plan as a remedies to curb the high number of OOSC in the state.
Also Professor Hauwa Evelyn Yusuf a professor of Criminology and gender studies at Kaduna state university, emphasized that one of the major reason for low girls enrolment especially at the junior secondary schools in kaduna is child marriage and the parents are not fully aware that education is free and compulsory from basic 1-9 in the state. On girls education, she maintain that lack of toilets, sanitary pads, gender balance, male and female teachers ratio discouraged girls from coming to school in the state. She stressed that there is need to make provision of gender needs in the state education sector plan.
In his response, the director planning ministry of education Salisu Baba Lawal said that kaduna state education sector plan 2019-2029 is gender responsive and the parents should also try to contribute their quota. He added that there is ongoing partnership between kaduna state and UNICEF to return more than 200,00 OOSC in the state. The project tittled ‘’ THE REACHING OUT OF SCHOOL CHILDREN’’ according to the deputy governor in the state Hadiza Balarabe would give 1,273,222 primary school pupils access to improved educational facilities and learning materials. It is estimated that the four years project would consume 2.5 million dollars.
A general household survey carried out in the state by the Kaduna state bureau of statistics children aged 6-10 contributed to high number of school drop out in the state. 134,186 (87.9%) of their parents shoes their desires to enroll their children back to school while 18,298 (12.1%) show no interest.
In conclusion, there is need for the state government to increase its awareness on free and compulsory education policy in the state (especially in the rural arrears), more so implementation of gender responsive education plan (GRESP) would help to increase enrolment rate in the state.
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