The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has raised concerns about the education system in Nigeria, particularly in the North East and North West regions. According to UNICEF, the country is facing challenges with student retention, transition, and completion.
During a regional stakeholders' meeting on out-of-school children and retention, transition, and completion models in Bauchi, Gombe, and Adamawa states, UNICEF's Bauchi Chief of Field Office, Tushar Rane, noted a worsening situation over the past decade. He highlighted that Nigeria has a significant number of out-of-school children, totaling 10.2 million for primary school-age children and 8.1 million for junior secondary school-age children.
Rane mentioned that only 63 percent of primary school-age children regularly attend school, and about 2.4 million out of the 5.9 million children who start Primary Grade 1 annually persist to the conclusion of Junior Secondary Grade 3. Factors such as early marriage, peer pressure, and social norms contribute to the high number of out-of-school children, according to Yawoji Ahmed Bala, a director from Gombe State Universal Basic Education Board.
The stakeholders' meeting aimed to develop and implement strategies to reduce the number of out-of-school children and improve retention, transition, and completion rates, especially for adolescent girls and boys in secondary education. The meeting underscored the urgent need for concerted efforts to address these challenges in Nigeria's education landscape.
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