Writing By Khadijah Aliyu, Editing By Godwin Duru
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says sixteen percent of Nigeria’s 10.2 million out-of-school children at primary level are from Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina states.
Chief of Field Office UNICEF Kano Mr. Rahama Rihood Mohammed Farah, stated this during a media parley to commemorate the International Day of Education IDE 2025.
He stressed that, according to the multiple indicator cluster survey MIS 2021, close to one million children are out of school in Kano state.
“According to MICS 2021, 32% of primary school age children are out of school in Kano”.
Mr. Rahma maintained that, while northwest Nigeria has the second highest out of school rates in Nigeria, the situation in Kano, jigawa and Katsina is alarming.
“And further exacerbated by poor learning outcomes for those children who are fortunate to be enrolled in school”.
The chief of the field office hinted that to expand access to education for children from families, UNICEF has supported cash transfers to improve access to education for vulnerable families.
“Other interventions by UNICEF include enrollment drives across communities, integrated Qur’anic schools, building schools,community accountability, infrastructure improvements and the Nigeria e-learning passport”.
He stressed that UNICEF also supported the construction of climate change resilient water sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools and communities, saying that a total of twenty five schools in Kano benefitted.
Speaking on the teacher training, Rahma maintained that 1,109 benefitted from professional development programs aimed at improving teaching methodologies.
“In Kano 630,249 teaching and learning materials for early childhood education and primary education were provided and distributed”.
The chief of field office reiterated UNICEFs commitment to working with the Kano state government for improved basic education outcomes.
KHADIJAH ALIYU
