United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF has identified limited and inequitable access to education in Katsina State, North-West Nigeria, by saying it contributes to transition challenge facing school age children at the basic education level.
The UN agency also said is one of the major factors contributing to the scourge of out of school children in Katsina state.
It added that numbers of primary schools in the state are higher than the existing junior secondary schools.
UNICEF Education Specialist, Muntaka Mukhtar made these known in Katsina , Katsina State , during a Media Dialogue, part of activities of the Girl’s Education Projects 3,(GEP3) funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development office FCDO, of the UK and implemented by UNICEF.
He further disclosed that Katsina State has recorded a total number of two hundred and sixty seven thousand Girls that are Out of School.
Mukhtar who revealed that in overall 536,132 children including boys are Out of School in Katsina State stated that the data were derived from the 2018 National Personnel Audit of the Universal Basic Education Commission.
Muntaka identified common gender norms such as child marriage , violence and fragility as factors that have put girls at disadvantage.
The UNICEF Education Specialist added that barriers like poverty and safety to access have continued to lead girls to drop out of schools at higher rates.
He disclosed that GEP 3, been presently extended to September 2022 establishes and support safe schools mechanism through community school partnership.
“The GEP 3 provides girls with Education support kits and Menstrual Hygiene Management skills to increase attendance and retention in Junior Secondary Schools,“
Earlier in his opening remarks, UNICEF Senior Education Manager of kano, Micheal Banda said UNICEF through the UK FCDO GEP3 funded project is partnering with the media to address transition challenges facing girls education from primary to junior secondary school.
According to Banda, a larger proportion of girls drop out of school in Katsina and this led to positive discrimination which involves positioning of girls into the system.
“GEP 3 Since 2012 focus on getting opportunity for girls to complete their education and transit to higher education.“
Also Katsina State Permanent Member State Universal Basic Education, Ashiru Sani, said the state government is working on sustainability plan to own the content of the GEP 3.
He said the state will continue to conduct enrolment drive campaigns to improve retention and transition to higher level to sustain the successes recorded between 2012 and 2021.
