Nigeria Has The Highest Number Of Out-of-School Children-UNESCO
One would assume that Nigeria should by now be better positioned to provide access to education to children of all ages, as well as have measures in place to enforce strict laws for the compliance of parents and children where education is concerned, all of that seems like wishful thinking based on a new report. According to the new report by UN’s cultural and education agency, UNESCO, Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world.
It estimates that at least 10 million Nigerian children, mostly girls, are missing out on education. Despite the country having a law making school attendance compulsory, millions of children still roam the streets to beg or to do manual labour.
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Meanwhile the federal government of Nigeria says that a school-feeding programme – launched in 2016 – is benefiting close to 10 million children and is helping to keep them in school. However, this intervention is facing allegations of corruption and dishonest dealings by some of the officials handling it at local levels, a situation that the authorities acknowledge and say they’re trying to address, the report said.
UNESCO says the world will miss its target of having a full transition of children to primary school by 2030 as part of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and warns that at least one in six children will be dropping out by then.