NGOs partner to tackle rate of out-of-school children

Ukpono Ukpong, Abuja

Alarmed by the increasing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, two civil society organizations, Connected Development (CODE) and FlexiSAF Foundation are partnering to identify out – of – school children and providing them with quality basic education.

In direct accordance with the SDG 4 and SDG 17, Connected Development and FlexiSAF Foundation are on a mission to reach these targets ahead of 2030.

Statistics show that there are about 13.2 million Nigerian children currently not in school and this figure is increasing by the day, particularly in the Northern part of Nigeria.

Distressed by this growing number, Connected Development and FlexiSAF Foundation are partnering to identify and verify the number of out – of – school children in selected states in Nigeria and increase citizen participation in curbing the trend by creating awareness about the phenomenon.

According to Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, Chairman, FlexiSAF Foundation, the partnership comes at a time when sustainable measures must be put in place to strengthen the quality of education in the country and curtail the growing number of out – of – school children, particularly in the North.

“It is indeed a remarkable feat to partner with Connected Development (CODE) in our mutual goal to reach out a helping hand to communities in need. We will be able to have access to more communities to provide quality basic education for all children,” he added.

CODE’s Chief Executive, Hamzat Lawal, also stated that “the future of Nigeria is strongly determined by the quality of education of its children. How can we begin to talk about quality education when a large proportion of Nigeria’s young ones are out-of-school?”

Lawal expressed worry that out-of-school children were constantly being exposed to the dangers of violence, assault, exploitation and anti-social recruitments such as terrorism, child-trafficking and kidnapping.

He noted that addressing out – of – school children is a challenge that the Nigerian government must tackle with a sense of urgency, adding that the partnership will be a great leap in pursuing the cause of reducing the number of out-of-school children.

“CODE is committed to providing its resources in supporting the cause by collating the number of out -of -school children and providing support in areas of monitoring and evaluation.

“CODE and FlexiSAF Foundation partnership will bring about the reduction in percentage of out-of-school children and create a sustainable environment for children to study and explore their creativity,” he stated.

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) records that girls account for 60 per cent of the out-of-school population. For every 100 boys of primary age out of school, 121 girls are denied the right to education, worsening gender-based discrimination and putting girls at a disadvantage.

According to the UN, displacement and child marriage also significantly affect a girl’s chances of going to school. Issues of water, sanitation and hygiene, and in many cases, insecurity affecting the delivery of education in conflict affected areas, are contributing factors driving children, particularly girls away from the classroom.