IDE: Group Expresses Concern Over 18.5m Out-Of-School Children
Chima Azubuike
As the world commemorates the fifth International Day of Education, Save the Children International, says its concerned about the increasing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
Our Correspondent reports that the theme of this year’s International Day of Education (IDE) is, “To invest in people, prioritise education”.
The group made this disclosure in a press statement obtained by our Correspondent, following its commemoration of the day.
According to SCI, based on UNICEF the number of out of school children has increased from 10.5 million to 18.5 million in 2022, adding that it means, there are millions of good reasons to step up investment in education.
SCI Nigeria called upon the government to ensure accessible, inclusive, safe, quality and free primary and secondary education that promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all children to realise and release their full potentials.
“To this end, we reiterate our demands for the Nigerian government’s fulfilment of H.E. President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment at the GPE Global Education Summit to increase education funding to 14% by 2022, 16.7% in 2023, 20% by 2024, and 22.5% by 2025,” the statement partly said.
Also, Famari Barro, Country Director, Save the Children International (SCI) Nigeria, was quoted to have said that investment into education would ensure economic development.
He added, “From all available records, children constitute a great number of the Nigerian population, and they are the future of the society. Any investment in this category of the population through prioritising education will not only propel the economic development of Nigeria but also guarantee an enduring peace, stability, accelerated growth and sustainable development of the country.”
On his part, Ibrahim Sunoma, Deputy Speaker of the National Children Parliament, said “Almajiri is also a child, there should be a deliberate effort by parents, government and NGOs in investing in their formal education.
“Education must be for all including children with disability and children on the street. If they are not left out, believe me, we can change our tomorrow for the better. All hands must be on deck to ensure all children have free and quality education at all levels.”
