The United Nations Children’s Fund, Unicef has raised concerns over the lack of access to early childhood education in Jigawa State, North-West Nigeria with only 16.8% of children benefiting from such services.
Speaking at a commitment meeting with the Jigawa State House of Assembly in Kaduna, Chief of Unicef’s Kano Field Office, Mohammed Farah, highlighted the alarming statistics.
According to Farah, 44% of primary school-age children and 52% of secondary school-age children in Jigawa State are not attending school, creating a significant education gap.
Farah further noted that foundational literacy and numeracy rates in Jigawa State are critically low. He therefore called on the House of Assembly to address these education challenges before the next Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, MICS in 2026/2027, urging for a shift in the state’s education landscape.
In response, Speaker of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Haruna Mohammed, declared a state of emergency on education in the state .
He emphasised that the legislators are fully aware of the situation, which is why education has been prioritised in the state’s 2024 budget, with 32% allocated to the sector.
He noted that the state has also taken steps to create separate ministries for Basic and Higher Education and to implement comprehensive education sector reforms.
Unicef reaffirmed its commitment to partnering with Jigawa State to reduce the number of out-of-school children and improve foundational learning across the state.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
