United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on the government and other stakeholders to intensify efforts to improve the enrollment, retention, and completion of education for girls in the country.
The Chief of the Kano Field Office of UNICEF, Mr. Rahama Farah, made this appeal during a press conference in Kano to commemorate the 2025 International Day of Education.
He quoted statistics which indicate that 7.6 million girls of school age in Nigeria are out of school, with the Northwest and northeast zones having 48 percent of the total.
He attributed the indices to factors that range from poverty to social and gender norms that place low value on the education of girls to insecurity, poor learning outcomes, and lack of water sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools.
While presenting a review of the activities of UNICEF to promote girl child enrollment and retention in school, the Chief of Kano Field Office of UNICEF, Mr. Rahama Mohammed Farah, said the fund engages government and communities in addressing the issues.
He said UNICEF also uses cash transfers and other incentives to encourage parents to enroll their female children and ensure their transition and retention in school.
He explained that “UNICEF has made a number of efforts in this regard, including cash transfers to encourage them to send their daughters to school and support their transition to JSS and SSS levels”.
He explained how the fund has “enhance girls’ writing and reading skills through Girls for Girls (G4G) reading hubs which have reached” an estimated 2.6 million school girls who now access education through multimedia channels including radio and TV.
“80,872 girls have benefited from mentoring and training to acquire transferable skills while 15,000 ‘G4G’ and ‘He4She’ members from 100 schools have been trained in menstrual hygiene management.
“UNICEF has also improved the capacity of teachers to deliver effective learning for girls and enhanced the capacity of teachers in 42,000 primary schools”, Farah said.
He explained that UNICEF has also constructed and rehabilitated Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in 33 schools across Kano and Jigawa states which are being used by 19,622 girls.
He said the fund is also working with policy makers in the education sector to ensure effective child protection and safe school practices for girls, while it also improves the capacity of teachers to mentor and provide guidance and counselling for girls.
The press conference was attended by print and broadcast journalists from Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States.
COV/Usman Mohammed and Isma’il Adamu