The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed its concerns regarding the recent increasing number of out-of-school rates in the South-West region of Nigeria.
In a statement issued yesterday, the organization noted the dropout rates of 8-15% among adolescents in primary and secondary schools within the Southwest region, which encompasses the states of Ekiti, Oyo, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, and Ogun.
UNICEF’s Education Specialist, Azuka Menkiti, disclosed this following a two-day regional stakeholders meeting focused on strategies for retaining out-of-school children and improving transition and completion rates, which took place in Ibadan.
In discussions with journalists, Menkiti highlighted that the completion rates for primary and secondary education among adolescents aged 10 to 18 stand at 92% and 85%, respectively.
She cautioned that this gap could have significant repercussions for the education sector at both the state and national levels if efforts to ensure full retention and completion are not prioritized.
She said: “This is a two-day regional meeting for the Southwest zone of Nigeria. UNICEF is working to support states in enhancing retention, transition, and completion of secondary education for adolescents.
“This effort builds on about 10 years of intervention in girls’ education, which has demonstrated successful, scalable interventions to bring girls to school and keep them there.
“UNICEF is supporting states to identify and address the factors driving dropout rates among adolescents.
“When we talk about out-of-school children, we look at it from different perspectives: those who have never enrolled in school, those likely not to enrol, and those who have dropped out.
“We are particularly focused on adolescents at risk of dropping out or not completing secondary education, especially in Southwestern states where enrollment rates are high but retention, transition, and completion rates need improvement.
“At this meeting, we have commissioners, SUBEB chairmen, permanent directors, and secretaries from various Southwest states, who have come together to review successful intervention models and adapt them to their state contexts.
“We are advocating for these states to commit to ensuring adequate funding for secondary education and to develop credible data to support advocacy efforts for improving secondary education.
“For UNICEF, our work in education is focused on three core areas: system strengthening, expanding access to education, and supporting states in creating quality learning opportunities for children and adolescents.
“In terms of system strengthening, we are emphasizing evidence generation. To effectively advocate for support, states need credible data.
“We are also supporting states in developing plans and policies to create opportunities for children to transition to and complete secondary education.
“In terms of access, we are working with community structures, religious leaders, and others to address social norms that keep children out of school.”