The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has charged Education Managers, stakeholders and Journalists in Bauchi State to work harmoniously towards reversing the negative trend of Out of School Children in the state.
The UNICEF Chief of Field Office Bauchi Dr Tushar Rane gave the charge at the opening of a Media Dialogue on Out of School Children in Bauchi State holding at Misau local government.
Dr Tushar Rane who lamented the rising number of Out of School Children (OOSC) in the world with over 10 million in Nigeria, called for robust engagement with traditional/religious leaders, School Based Management Committees, the media and youths to ensure effective awareness and mobilization of stakeholders on the importance of enrolling all school-age children in schools.
“I encourage us to let the discussions from this media dialogue motivate us, to amplify the voices of out-of-school-children, advocate for change, and to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that no child is left behind”, Rane stresses.
He noted that the media dialogue was aimed at discussing the root causes of out-of-school-children, challenges hindering school-aged children’s access to education, and the potential solutions to the issue in the state.
“I appreciate the government of Bauchi State for the partnership with UNICEF to improve the education outcomes in the state”, Dr Tushar states.
“He adds that, Education is a fundamental right that empowers children to reach their full potentials, it is deeply concerning that, due to varying factors, a significant number of children in Bauchi state are unable to access this fundamental right, robbing them of their dreams and aspirations”.
The Chief of Field Office restated (UNICEF) commitment to improving the lives of children and women in Nigeria, especially in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Education for All (EFA) goals.
Speaking on behalf of the State Ministry of Education, the Director Admin and Human Resource Alhaji Yakubu Ahmad stressed the need for policy target to realise the set objectives, taking into consideration the differences and peculiarities of various communities in the state.
“The educational problems of Bogoro local government may vary from that of Zaki local government, and so government, policy formulators must take such peculiarities and differences into consideration in drafting policies to overcome the challenges”, Yakubu Ahmad highlights.
In a remark, the Director School Services SUBEB Korijo Buba who commended UNICEF for its effort in addressing the out-of-school-children phenomenon, called on the media to strengthen its sensitisation mechanism to ensure positive attitudinal change among parents and other stakeholders.
The dialogue drew over thirty participants from the Ministry of Education, SUBEB, BASAME as well as the broadcast and print media.
