Back-to-school Campaign: UNICEF, Nasarawa Government partners with Media

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the Nasarawa State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) says it would partner with the media on awareness creation to ensure that no child is left out-of-school.

The Chief, UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, Dr. Zachary Adam, stated this at a one-day media dialogue with media chief executives and correspondents on ‘Back to School Campaign and School Safety’ held in Lafia, the State capital.

Dr. Adam said despite the challenges posed by COVID-I9, UNICEF was working in four states of Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kwara, and Niger to ensure that children are enrolled back to schools, irrespective of their ethnic or social positions.

“I assure you of partnership with UNICEF so that we can achieve results and take advantage of very few initiatives that are ongoing to improve our education in a way that the system absorbs 100% of children, irrespective of their cultural background and social position, whether they are from rich or poor families.

“If we achieve the objective of bringing our daughters and boys to school, we can be fully assured that this school target development that we are aiming at achieving for Nasarawa and Nigeria will become a reality,” he said.

He, therefore, called on media professionals to feel free to ask questions where ever they need information, promising to provide the necessary answers to their questions.

Speaking, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Mohammed Bala, said the campaign was in tandem with Governor Abdullahi Sule-led administration’s commitment to transforming the education sector.

He expressed the state government’s readiness to work with development partners and media professionals to ensure adequate school enrolment of children, especially in rural communities.

Similarly, Chairman, SUBEB, Mr. Musa Dan’Azumi, represented by the Director of Academic Services on the board, Dr. Ibrahim Eshin, commended UNICEF for complementing the efforts of government through their intervention to promote educational programs in the state.

According to him, “SUBEB will continue to partner with UNICEF alongside the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and all that will be done would be done collaboratively which the state is doing.

“Thank you for all the efforts that you people have put in place and all efforts will be replicated by the time of sustainability,” he noted.

Meanwhile, the Education Officer, UNICEF Kaduna Office, Mr. Francis Mador-Elisha, said the program was aimed at building collective responsibility and supporting the back-to-school campaign and school safety in the state.

Mr. Elisha further appealed to media practitioners and media executives to support the campaign through sustained reportage of its programmes, with a view to improving the enrolment of out-of-school children.

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