Out-of-School Children: UBEC to Partner UNICEF in Conducting Regional Engagements

Addressing the Challenge of Out-of-School Children in Nigeria

Partnership with UNICEF for Regional Engagements

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

As part of efforts to address the challenge of out-of-school children (OOSC) in the country, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has disclosed its plans to partner with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in conducting regional engagements.

The Executive Secretary, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, who disclosed this in Abuja, said the partnership has become expedient as states would have the opportunity to share the key features of their out-of-school interventions in order to make room for better consultations with a broad range of stakeholders.

Collaborative Approach to Addressing the Challenge

He said the Commission’s insistence on addressing the challenge through broad based partnership prompted the partnership and participation of State Ministries of Education (SMoE), State Agency for Mass Education (SAME) and other critical stakeholders apart from SUBEBs in making implementable inputs and also being physically present at this regional engagement.

The meeting organised by UBEC in collaboration with UNICEF was part of the collective effort towards ensuring timely commencement of the implementation of OOSC intervention activities across the states and also ensuring that states take full ownership of the implementation processes.

The Impact of Out-of-School Children on Nigeria’s Educational Development

“We are all aware that the high number of OOSC in Nigeria has continued to hinder our educational growth and has also given a negative reference on our nation’s educational development strides and aspirations in the global scene.

“Despite our conviction that government at all levels are making reasonable provision for the basic education sector annually, there are still an unacceptable number of children in this category.

“In this regard, UBEC is collaborating with relevant partners, particularly UNICEF, to achieve its mandate by doubling its efforts to create public awareness on the danger of having a large number of children out of school and also providing a platform, structure, and interventions through which the stakeholders at the state and grassroots levels will leverage on in tackling the challenge in their respective domains,” he said.

He charged stakeholders to go back to the drawing boards and proffer solutions that would ensure a drastic reduction in the number of children that are out of school or eradicate the phenomenon completely.

Regional Sensitisation Meetings

The stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting was earlier held in some other regional centres as follows:

1. Kano centre was held from 12th to 15th July, 2023
2. Lagos centre was held from 26th to 29th July
3. Port Harcourt centre was held from 3rd to 5th August

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education

The article discusses the issue of out-of-school children in Nigeria and the efforts being made to address this challenge. This aligns with SDG 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
• Target 4.5: By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and children in vulnerable situations.

The article mentions the need to address the challenge of out-of-school children and ensure timely implementation of intervention activities. This aligns with Target 4.1, which focuses on ensuring that all children have access to quality education. Additionally, the mention of stakeholders’ involvement and the need for solutions to reduce the number of out-of-school children aligns with Target 4.5, which aims to eliminate disparities in education and ensure equal access for all.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 4.1.1: Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex.
• Indicator 4.5.1: Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile, and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated.

The article does not explicitly mention any indicators. However, to measure progress towards Target 4.1, the indicator 4.1.1 can be used to assess the proficiency level of children in reading and mathematics at different stages of education. For Target 4.5, the indicator 4.5.1 can be used to measure gender disparities and other inequalities in education.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: thisdaylive.com

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