UNICEF demands emergency budget for education

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged South-West states to provide emergency budget for education to meet up with the exigencies of COVID-19 realities as schools are planning to reopen for activities.

The UNICEF Education Specialist, Akure Field Office, Murtala Adoji Mohammed, said this yesterday during a three-day workshop on review of MTBESP in Owo, the headquarters of Owo Local Council of Ondo State.

The training was organised by UNICEF for the South-West states under Akure Field Office namely: Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, and Ogun states, excluding Lagos State, but including Edo State.

Mohammed noted that the Medium Term Basic Education Sector Plans (MTBESP) from 2017-2019 to 2021-2023 workshop was to support the states to deliver results and ensure students are in school learning.

According to him, the MTBESP review had yielded significant results in most states supported by UNICEF in the past, leading to the building of more schools in the rural areas.

He, however, said that there was no specific budget per school to meet the present COVID-19 realities to provide the necessary support.

“We are calling on the government to have a specific budget per school so that the schools will be able to procure water, bucket and washing soap. The parents are doing amazingly well by providing the pupils with face masks,” he said.