UNICEF, EU train 50 education officers in North-East
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the European Union (EU) has trained 50 education officers in quality data for impactful policies on education in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.
This was contained in a statement by Phuong Nguyen, UNICEF’s Chief of Maiduguri Field Office, on Monday in Maiduguri.
Nguyen said the training on Education Management Information System (EMIS) for key partners in the insurgency affected states would lead to the generation of credible data and broader indicators that would help in designing interventions to address the learning needs of vulnerable children in the region.
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According to him, for the first time, data on out-of-school children, children attending Tsangaya and Islamiyya schools and non-formal education pathways will be captured and stored digitally to improve education planning.
He said the protracted security crisis in North-East exacerbated the weakness of basic social service delivery depriving children of their rights to education, protection and other critical services.
According to statistics from the UN Agency, 1.9 million children are without access to basic quality education, adding that since 2012, 10 per cent of schools had been razed and 26 per cent targeted by suicide bombers.
“UNICEF is excited to support governments in North-East Nigeria to gain timely and credible data to support evidence-based planning for the education sector.
“For conflict-affected children across North-East Nigeria, it means one thing – schools will have adequate teachers, more inclusive and child-friendly learning environment, including safe classrooms, gender-segregated toilets and water points as enablers to stay in school, transition, complete their education and contribute positively to the society.
“This initiative will help improve access to quality education for marginalised children, especially girls and others living with disabilities,’’ he said.
Newsmen reports that the EU-funded programme is three-year support to Early Recovery and Resilience designed to assist children, youths and communities in the region.
The programme also targeted about 25,000 young people for vocational skills and non-formal education programmes.
