The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), has organised a Northern regional consultative meeting with adolescent girls on their transition to junior secondary school.
Speaking during the opening ceremony organised for 10 Northern states in Kano, UNICEF’s Senior Education Manager, Kano Field Office, Michael Bandu, said it was worrisome that Nigeria had over 13.5 million out-of-school children, noting that the number was still increasing, with the Northern states having the highest number.
He said it was discovered that pupils transiting to junior secondary school from primary school kept decreasing due to issues attributed to socio-cultural practices, financial status of parents, among others.
He explained that it was figured out that there was a need to talk to the pupils directly so as to develop a workable solution to the matter from the point of view of the affected children.
In his remarks, UBEC’s Executive Secretary, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, stated that they were working with the children to have a clear understanding of their plight – as to what was negatively affecting their transition from primary to junior secondary.
He added that the federal government was collaborating at various levels with states to come up with powerful strategies that would assist in tackling the issue.
