10million Girls Are Out Of School In Nigeria – UNICEF

Over 10 million girls in Nigeria are reportedly said to be out of school due to the sizeable burden of challenges restraining them.

The girls who were discovered from the northern states with the highest rate of out-of-school children, hence denying them the fundamental human right to education.

UNICEF’s chief field officer, Kano, Mr Rahama Mohammed Farah, disclosed this at a media dialogue on girls’ education under the Girls’ Education Project 3 (GEP 3) funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK and implemented by UNICEF.

He said currently in Nigeria there are 18.5 million out-of-school children, and 60 per cent of these out of school children are girls – that is over 10 million girls are out of school, adding that the situation has intensified gender inequity, where only one in four girls from poor, rural families complete Junior Secondary school education.

Farah said, “The education crisis in Nigeria is affecting children across the country, with some children more likely to be affected than others, especially girls. The situation with girls’ education in Nigeria has been further affected by attacks on schools.

“UNICEF, with funding support from development partners, is collaborating with government to build the capacity of school-based management Committees (SBMCs) and Community-based Management Committees (CBMCs) on school safety and security, and to make communities more resilient.”