Uncategorized
Over 10 million Nigerian children out of school—- UNICEF
Aminat Isah, Abuja
The United Nations Children’s Fund ( UNICEF) has disclosed that out of 64 million children globally out of school, over 10 million are from Nigeria.
The agency also added that girls’ enrolment in schools in Niger and Sokoto states has increased by 61.8 per cent due to cash transfer from parents.
UNICEF’s Chief of Education, Terry Durnnian, said this in Abuja on Thursday during the Cash Transfer Programme briefing and dissemination on Impact Evaluation Report.
He noted that 23,665 girls of the girls are from Niger and sokoto states and have benefitted from the first UNICEF sponsored Cash Transfer Programs between September 2014 and October 2016.
He averred that the enrolment effects of CTP in Niger and sokoto states were widespread across the target L.GAs .
Durnnian further stressed that girls’ enrolment in Niger state increased by 35.5percent in the GEP3 CTP schools after the programme implementation while there was an increase of 9.5 percent in girls’ enrolment in the nkn- CTP schools after the implementation.
He also added that UNICEF has commenced implementation of Cash Transfer Programme in Kebbi and Zamfara State as part of efforts to increase school enrolment and school attendance rates for boys and girls following an increase in number of out of school girls in the world.
His words: “Our target was to reach 58,484 girls in Niger state to help them return to school but so far 12, 314 girls benefited. We also targeted 54,081 girls for disbursement of CTP in sokoto state, 11,341 girls benefitted and an average of 2girls per caregiver was reached by the Cash Transfer Programme in each state.
“Globally 264 million children are not in school and more than 10 million children are out of school in Nigeria. The programme is targeted at 41,391 Children in the two states and it will hold for two years and that it will enhance the socio-economic well being of beneficiary households.
“UNICEF targets 31,044 children in Kebbi state while 10,347 children are numbers of target beneficiaries.”
Lack of finances in families, and because children in rural areas have lesser chances of attending schools. are the premise on which the number of girls in the north is hinged on
The representative of CAPRA International, John Adeoti , said the cash transfer programme is not only about enrolment of the children into schools but also to increase the quality of education to enable them make effective use of what have been learnt in school.
Also speaking, the Sokoto state Coordinator of the Cash Transfer Programme, Mamuda Galadinma, said the state had already started sustainability programme adding that sokoto state government in January disbursed the sum of N10,100 to beneficiaries.
Contact: info@royalnews.com.ng