Over 10 million Nigerian girls are out of school – UNICEF 

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has decried the prevailing statistics of out-of-school children in Nigeria, saying the country has 18.5 million out-of-school children, and 60 percent of these out-of-school children are girls

UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Rahama Farah, expressed this concern on Wednesday during a media dialogue on girls’ education under the Girls’ Education Project 3 (GEP3) funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK and implemented by UNICEF.

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He explained that out of the 18.5 million out-of-school children in the country, over 10 million are girls which represents 60 percent.

Farah noted that the attacks on schools and other educational challenges afflicting Nigeria were negatively affecting children’s quest for education across the nation, noting that more girls were likely to be affected than boys.

He, however, said with the interventions of UNICEF, the government, and other development partners, 1.4 million girls now have access to education in northern Nigeria.

“Currently in Nigeria, there are 18.5 million out-of-school children, 60 percent of these out-of-school children are girls – that is over 10 million girls are out of school

“Most importantly, you will need to know that the majority of these out-of-school children are actually from northern Nigeria. This situation heightens the gender inequity, where only one in four girls from poor, rural families complete Junior Secondary School education.”

He admonished journalists to advocate increased funding, timely release, and allocation of adequate resources to the education sector for effective and efficient learning.

“The media must also be at the forefront of advocating for the action directed at removing these barriers that hinder girls’ education such as child marriage,” Farah added.

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