Shortage of qualified teachers, classrooms are obstacles to children’s education in Nigeria – UNICEF

From Ajayi Ayuba Bauchi

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has identified inadequate evidence-based policy and planning, limited budget allocation as well as significant shortages of qualified teachers and classrooms are the obstacles preventing consistent school attendance, timely enrolment, and completion of education for all Nigerian children.

The Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Tushar Rane made this known while delivering his goodwill message to participants of a two-day Regional Stakeholders Engagement Meeting on the Out-of-School Children and the Retention, Transition, and Completion Models in Bauchi, Gombe, and Adamawa states.

Rane said that poor infrastructure, cultural norms, health and safety worries, and dependence on children for income and household tasks are other impediments to school attendance, timely enrolment, and completion of education for all Nigerian children.

Tushar said, “UNICEF is deeply concerned with the rate of out-of-school children, and low learning achievement in the country, especially in the North-east and North-west regions.

He explained that, in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission, a National Framework of Action has been developed to Reduce the Number of Out-of-School Children in Nigeria and the “Retention, Transition, and Completion (RTC) Model”.

Rane said that the model ensures inclusive and equitable quality education and promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all, adding that the framework and RTC model will guide the respective states in confronting the Out-of-School Children phenomenon.

He further explained that the framework will also strengthen the community accountability and mobilization, use of innovations and technologies to increase access to quality learning and financing of Out-of-School Children in the state