UNICEF calls for establishment of girls model schools

Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja

The United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for the establishment of girls Model Basic Education Schools to promote girls retention in school.

The international organization identified early marriage, teenage pregnancy, male preference and unfriendly environment amongst some of the factors that hinders girls from enrolling and staying in school until completion.

Speaking during a road walk to celebrate the 2019 Day of the African Child in Abuja, the President, UNICEF Youth Advocate for Education, Sagir Yakubu lamented that out of the 10million out-of -school children in Nigeria, 5million are girls.

He called on political leaders in the current dispensation, especially state governors to make it a point of focus to eliminate barriers that hinder girls from enrolling and staying in school until completion.

While calling on governments at all levels to increase budgetary allocation and release of funds for education, with 50 per cent of the total budget to basic education, Yakubu added that the current allocation to basic education is low and the learning outcome is too poor.

“Government should provide 20 per cent of schools with access to digital learning platforms yearly and allocate specific funds for systematic monitoring, supportive supervision of teachers and schools’’.

He further advocated for the recruitment and deployment of 1000 female teachers especially to rural communities annually.

‘’The quality of education in Nigeria is poor in terms of learning outcomes. There is poor welfare and motivation of teachers; inadequate training and retraining of teachers; low number of qualified teachers especially in the rural areas and lack of proper monitoring and evaluation mechanism of both public schools’’.

He added that the teachers should be provided with incentives to encourage them to do their job.