‘North has highest number of out-of-school girls in Nigeria’

More than 50 per cent of girls in Nigeria are not attending school at the basic education level, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has noted.

Education Manager at UNICEF, Jutaro Sakamoto said this in Abuja at the education conference organised by the French Institute in Nigeria.

According to him, 7.6 million girls were out of school in Nigeria – 3.9 million at the primary and 3.7 million at the junior secondary level.

Sakamoto also stated that 48 per cent of out-of-school girls were in the North West and North East, adding that gender parity in net attendance ratio was below 1.0 in 10 states, primarily in the North, but is decreasing in 15 states.

He added that 9 per cent of the poorest girls attend secondary school, compared to 81 per cent from the richest quintile.

Sakamoto lamented that Nigeria accounts for 15 per cent of out-of-school children globally, noting, “If we can’t address the situation in Nigeria, we can’t solve the situation in the world.”

He said those going to school were not being taught well owing to a lack of facilities, adding that UNICEF’s Education Opportunity for Out of School Children (OOSC) project had been able to make some impact.