UNICEF: Over 900,000 out-of-school children enrolled in Sokoto, Zamfara since 2012

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) says it has enrolled about 964,325 out-of-school children in Zamfara and Sokoto states since 2012.

According to NAN, Maryam Darwesh-Said, UNICEF chief field officer in Sokoto, disclosed this on Tuesday at a media dialogue on the girls’ education project (GEP3).

The girls’ education project, now in its third phase, is a cash transfer programme designed as a social protection initiative to tackle the impact of poverty on female child enrolment in schools in Nigeria.

The programme was designed through a memorandum of understanding signed between UNICEF and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) in December 2004.

She said 92 out of the 1,280 integrated Qur’anic school (IQS) teachers trained from both Sokoto and Zamfara states were females, adding that 13,094 members of school management committees also passed through the training exercise.

The UNICEF field officer said the project is focused on ensuring girls’ enrolment in basic education, enhancing teachers’ capacity for effective learning, and strengthening governance to improve education of girls.

“In recognition of the benefits from GEP, a sustainability strategy document was developed by the states,” she said.

“I urge the states to ensure full implementation of the sustainability plan by incorporating it into their budget to capture required funding contributions for UNICEF-supported interventions to facilitate strategic sustainability.”

She added that UNICEF is committed to ensuring that all children have access to quality education.