EU prioritises out-of-school children in north-west, invests €5.4m in teachers’ training

The European Union (EU) is seeking to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the north-western part of the country by investing €5.4 million in the training of teachers.

The fund will be invested through the EU’s Global Gateway initiative. The aforementioned sum is part of the €150 billion aid Nigeria is primed to access by 2027.

A recent report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) shows that Nigeria now has 20 million out-of-school children.

Speaking at the launch of a €40 million intervention programme on education and youth empowerment for the north-west on Thursday night in Abuja, Jutta Urpilainen, EU commissioner for international partnerships, said there is no education without teachers.

“We have to remember that there is no education without teachers and that’s why we also have to invest in teacher training,” Urpilainen said.

“The third objective of our programme is really that it empowers youth with the skills they need, providing vocational education as promoting behavioral change campaigns, to challenge harmful social norms and empower girls.

“This ambitious programme launched today has been designed with Nigerian authorities to ensure the ownership and an adequate response to the local needs.

“The EU is not only targeting the youth through this specific programme, it is also bringing the youth to the driving seat and this is why as the EU, we set up the Youth Sounding Board, also here in Nigeria, as well as in many countries to make sure that what we do is for the youth but also by the youth.

“Education is the most transformative sector in which we can invest and it is the cornerstone for creating resilient societies and finding solutions to the biggest challenges of our time.

“So the EU investment on access, skills and quality education and youth empowerment in Northwestern Nigeria brings actually all these different components together. It will be deployed in north-west Nigeria.”

Umar Namadi, governor of Jigawa, who spoke on behalf of north-west governors, said the geo-political zone believed to have the most population in the country is “disadvantaged when it comes to education”.

The governor said the aid is coming at the right time because education is a priority for the states in the geo-political zone.

“This intervention we will utilize in the best way possible and I assure you that the outcomes would be something commendable to improve our educational system and other aspects of social development,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, Tahir Mamman, minister of education, said the federal government is ready to allocate 25 percent of its next budget to education.