SCI expresses concern over increasing out-of-school children.
SCI expresses concern over increasing out-of-school children.
By our Correspondent
Attn: News Editor
As the world commemorates the 5th International Day of Education (IDE), yesterday Save the Children International has expressed concerned about the increasing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
The Media and Communication Manager Save the Children International Nigeria, Kunle Olawoyin, asserted this in a statement made available to the media in Kaduna yesterday.
Olawoyin noted that according
to the UNICEF, the number of out of school children has increased from 10.5 million to 18.5 million in 2022, that means, there are millions of good reasons to step up investment in education.
Speaking on the Theme of this year the International Day of Education,” To invest in people, prioritize education”, he said access to school is not only essential for children’s wellbeing and ability to thrive here and now. It is also a prerequisite for children to acquire the knowledge and skills that are central to building a life of opportunities.
SCI therefore urged Nigeria government to ensure accessible, inclusive, safe, quality and free primary and secondary education that promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all children to realize and release their full potential.
” To this end, we reiterate our demands for the Nigerian government’s fulfilment of H.E. President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment at the GPE Global Education Summit to increase education funding to 14% by 2022, 16.7% in 2023, 20% by 2024, and 22.5% by 2025.
” SCI calls upon governments, donors, partners, the international community and key stakeholders to stand by their commitments to prioritize investment in education and educational transformation towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Olawoyin stressed that SCI has been supporting the Government of Nigeria to implement the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) and its guidelines to protect education from attack. In 2021, Nigeria hosted the 4th International Conference on Safe Schools in Abuja, with 400 delegates from 27 different countries attended in-person while 1,936 delegates from 124 countries participated virtually.
According to him Education has been recognized globally as a veritable and strategic venture pivotal to the economic transformation of any nation.
” Save the Children urges for the prioritization of girl child education and investing more in it to ensure no one is left behind in the race to agenda 2030.
“Save the Children encourages the training and retraining of teachers to be prioritized so that the children can get better life skills and knowledge required to make their future bright. Education offers children a ladder out of poverty and a path to a promising future. ” The Statement reads
In his remarks Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Zanna Sunoma, Deputy Speaker of the National Children Parliament, said “Almajiri is also a child, there should be a deliberate effort by parents, government and NGOs in investing in their formal education.
He opined that Education must be for all including children without disabilities and children on the street, Saying if they are not left out, believe me, we can change our tomorrow for the better. All hands must be on deck to ensure all children have free and quality education at all levels
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