EU partners UNICEF to enroll 1.5m children in north-west schools

The European Union (EU) has partnered with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to enroll 1.5 million children and youths in schools in the north-western region of Nigeria. 

Micheal Benda, UNICEF senior education manager at the Kano field office, spoke on Wednesday during a multi-sectoral key stakeholders meeting on education and youth empowerment in the state.

Benda said the empowerment programme started in October 2023 and would end in August 2027, adding that it would cover Jigawa, Kano and Sokoto states.

He said the programme would improve the rate of school attendance, ensure school safety for girls and boys, and enable inclusive learning and access to skill development prospects.

“The programme operation is categorised into three main outputs involving strengthened education governance and learning, expanded access to safe and inclusive learning environment and giving quality, continuous learning and enhanced competencies,” NAN quoted Benda as saying.

“Our aim is for them to get skills that will make them competitive, marketable and self sustaining, to start a business.

“We are also looking at Integrated Qur’anic School because we have Qur’anic schools that do an integrated curriculum which includes literacy and numeracy beyond the religious education.

“We are going to catch everyone, including those who do not have space in the formal school.”

He said many Nigerian children between the ages of seven and 14, find it difficult to read or write simple sentences.

The UNICEF education manager said Kano would be the principal beneficiary of the project due to the population of out-of-school children in the state.