UNICEF urges action to secure children’s education

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reiterated intensified efforts to protect Nigerian children, who remain vulnerable to attacks and abductions.

Making the call yesterday while commemorating the abduction of Chibok schoolgirls, 10 years ago, the United Nations body said the recent abduction of schoolchildren in Kaduna State further underscored the urgency of the situation.
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UNICEF representative in Nigeria, Ms Cristian Munduate, emphasised the need for urgent action, stating, “The kidnap of the Chibok girls was a wake-up call for the severe risks our children face in their pursuit of education.”

Calling on the government, its partners, and the international community to prioritise education and child protection in national policies and budget allocations, she said the threat of abduction impacts children’s learning, with over one million children afraid to return to school as of 2021.

UNICEF is actively collaborating with governments to ensure safe learning environments, supporting the establishment of safe school steering committees and providing resources for implementation.

The body’s latest report, the ‘Minimum Standards for Safe Schools (MSSS) Monitoring Report’, he said, paints a sobering picture of the challenges facing Nigerian children’s education.

The report examined identified six key areas, revealing significant disparities in the implementation of safe school standards across states.

While some states, like Borno and Yobe, demonstrated progress with fulfilment rates of 70 per cent and promising progress, others like Kaduna and Sokoto, he said, lagged significantly behind.
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