Over 10 million girls out of school in Nigeria – UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that over 10 million girls are out of school in Nigeria.

UNICEF said the majority of students are from the northern part of the country.

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The UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Kano, Mr. Rahama Mohammed Farah disclosed this at a Media Dialogue on Girls’ Education under the Girls’ Education Project (GEP3).

“Currently in Nigeria, there are 18.5 million out of school children, 60 per cent of these out of school children are girls – that is over 10 million girls are out of school. The majority of these out-of-school children are actually from northern Nigeria,” he said.

Farah lamented that this situation has heightened the gender inequity, where only one in four girls from poor, rural families complete Junior Secondary School education.

While explaining that education is a fundamental human right which every child should enjoy, Farah said no child should be left behind and that girls’ education should receive special attention.

“Girls’ education is particularly important because as is often stated, when you educate a girl, you educate a nation,” he said.

GEP3 was implemented by UNICEF in Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Bauchi, Kano and Niger states with the support of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK.