Numan (Adamawa): The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the Adamawa Government, has advocated for the enrollment of out-of-school children at the grassroots level across 21 Local Government Areas of the state.
Speaking at the engagement in Numan Local Government Area on Monday, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, the Chief of UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, stated that education is the right of every child.
She said that all the fundamental rights of every child needed to be fulfilled, hence the need for traditional leaders to work hard to educate children at the grassroots level.
“Today, we try to make every effort possible to meet together to bring every child to the school because out-of-school issues are one of the major problems in Nigeria.
“There are about 18 million children who do not have access to school, so the UNICEF objective is to bring every child to school, including children with disabilities, who have the right to go to school,” she said.
She explained that UNICEF engaged traditional leaders because royal fathers were the backbone of the society.
“They can motivate families, communities and the society for the children to have quality education, retain and transit to secondary school,” she said.
Dr Garba Pella, Commissioner, Ministry of Education, said that traditional leaders remained powerful in the community, ensuring sustainable development at the grassroots level.
Pella, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Aishatu Umar, stated that the number of out-of-school children was increasing, noting that traditional leaders play a vital role in addressing this challenge.
AbdulRahaman Ado, UNICEF Education Specialist, stated that the objective of the advocacy was to raise awareness of accountability and strengthen the role of traditional leaders in promoting school enrollment, retention, and transition.
Mr Adum Alaba, Chairman of the House Committee on Education, Adamawa assembly, described the issue of out-of-school children as a security threat in the making.
“When children are denied learning opportunities, they are left vulnerable to negative influences such as drug abuse, political thuggery, violent extremism, and other criminal tendencies.
“This is where the traditional institution plays a unique role. As fathers to the land and protectors of the future, you wield unmatched moral authority to drive behavioural change,” he said.
