The United Nations International Children Emergency Funds (UNICEF) has enrolled over 1,135, 465 out-of-school girls back to school across six states in Nigeria through its education support programme.
An education specialist with UNICEF Abuja office, Mrs. Azuka Menkiti, disclosed this in an interview in Abuja at the end of a two-day educational steering committee meeting.
She said the committee was set up to oversee the implementation of 33 projects across six states to enable UNICEF to work with both states and the federal government.
According to her, the essence is to bring additional one million girls to school with a series of interventions.
Menkiti said a sub technical committee meeting comprised technical staff across the six states, directors of planning and directors of mobilisation and Federal Ministry of Education.
She said the sub-committee would access the progress achieved over a period of eight years to reflect on the key challenges.
“She said, “We have been able to reach our target and we are sure that a lot more girls have to come back to school because of this intervention.
Our record shows that we have over one million girls who have gone back to school.
“The guide has been on a combination of series of intervention results that runs on three output areas under which we have been able to come up with different initiatives.
“These initiatives are mostly dressing norms and cash transfer programmes, where we are able to ensure that it is used to address the constraint that keeps them out of school.”
She said further that, “We also ensure an enrollment drive to address behaviours and socio-cultural norms that also affect a girl’s enrolment in school. Others are, girls-for-girls already in school. While enrollment drives those out of school back to school, the girls-for-girls supports girls with life skills.
“It also supports them in skills that will enhance self consciousness and help them appreciate the need to stay in school and build them as peer mobilisers who reach out to others.”
She said the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, the chairman of the National Steering Committee, had adopted all recommendations made and called on the government at all levels to ensure the success of the intervention.
(NAN)
