The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised concerns over the alarming 8-15% dropout rate among adolescents in primary and secondary schools across the Southwest region, comprising Ekiti, Oyo, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, and Ogun states.
UNICEF Education Specialist Azuka Menkiti shared these concerns at a two-day regional stakeholders meeting on out-of-school child retention, transition, and completion models held in Ibadan.
Menkiti highlighted the worrisome completion rates for primary and secondary school among adolescents aged 10 to 18, which stand at 92% and 85%, respectively.
“This shortfall could severely impact the education sector in both the state and the country if full retention and completion are not achieved,” Menkiti cautioned.
“This is a two-day regional meeting for the Southwest zone of Nigeria. UNICEF is working to support states in enhancing retention, transition, and completion of secondary education for adolescents.”
Building on a Decade of Progress
UNICEF’s efforts build on about ten years of intervention in girls’ education, demonstrating successful, scalable interventions to bring girls to school and keep them there.
“UNICEF is supporting states to identify and address the factors driving dropout rates among adolescents,” Menkiti explained.
“When we talk about out-of-school children, we look at it from different perspectives: those who have never enrolled in school, those likely not to enroll, and those who have dropped out.”
Menkiti emphasized the focus on adolescents at risk of dropping out or not completing secondary education, especially in Southwestern states where enrollment rates are high, but retention, transition, and completion rates need improvement.
Stakeholders and Education Specialists Unite
The meeting brought together commissioners, SUBEB chairmen, permanent directors, and secretaries from various Southwest states to review successful intervention models and adapt them to their state contexts.
“We are advocating for these states to commit to ensuring adequate funding for secondary education and to develop credible data to support advocacy efforts for improving secondary education,” Menkiti stated.
Babangana Aminu, another UNICEF Education Specialist from the Lagos office, echoed these sentiments, urging the government and education stakeholders to adopt fundamental literacy, numeracy, and transferable skills to address persistent issues.
“In terms of out-of-school children in the Southwest, about 80% of children are in school, according to the NBS multiple survey, but retention is still a major issue,” Aminu said.
“The data shows that while 92% and 85% of children are completing primary and upper secondary education, this is still worrisome.”
Improving Education for All
UNICEF Programme Officer Muhammed Okorie stated that the purpose of the workshop was to design a model that works for each state to improve retention and ensure children complete their education.
“This meeting is to ensure that our children not only receive an education but also receive a quality education that is transformative,” Okorie explained.
“If we think about human capital development, these children are the driving force. Our mandate is fulfilled only when every child’s right to education is fully realized, protected, and upheld.”
Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Professor Saliu Adelabu, acknowledged the progress made in reducing the number of out-of-school children in the state.
“There has been tremendous improvement when you look at the World Bank data and that of UNICEF,” Professor Adelabu noted.
“Oyo State used to have the highest number of out-of-school children about two years ago, but we are now in a better position.”
Addressing Security Challenges
Professor Adelabu also addressed the security challenges posed by the influx of children from the northern part of the country.
“The influx of young boys and girls from the northern part of the country is a security challenge, but we are not folding our arms,” Adelabu said.
“The Oyo State government, through the Ministry of Environment, is working to bring as many of these children back to school as possible. For those who cannot be reintegrated into formal education, we are providing vocational training opportunities.”
The meeting concluded with a commitment from stakeholders to improve educational outcomes and ensure that every child in the Southwest region has access to quality education.
