Carl Umegboro
The synergy of the federal and state governments, humanitarian societies, international agencies and non-government organisations (NGOs) through the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Accelerated Funding (AF) projects in North-east Nigeria is worthwhile. The thoughtful interventions followed critical situations vis-Ã -vis education of children in public schools resulting firstly from destroyed schools by bandits in the region coupled with other uncommon challenges militating against good education outcomes in the northeast, namely; Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. Data shows that about 1.9 million boys, girls and youth affected by conflict are without access to basic quality education in the region. This is inclusive of 56 percent of all displaced children who are out of school.
In overview of education in Nigeria, Saadhna
Panday-Soobrayan (PhD), Chief Education, UNICEF Nigeria, underlined that
Nigeria and especially the Northeast are experiencing a severe learning crisis
though access to education is improving, but remains inequitable, especially in
the Northeast. UNICEF submitted that learning poverty rate has dramatically
increased in low-and lower middle-income countries from post-COVID accelerated
results to 48 percent while post-COVID simulation stands at 65 percent, and
agitatedly summed that 3 out of every 4 children in Nigeria cannot read with
meaning or solve simple mathematics problems. This seriously calls for concern.
For instance, statistics show that across north-east
Nigeria, only 29 percent of schools have teachers with the minimum qualification.
Added to this, the average pupil-teacher ratio is 124 to 1. Furthermore, almost
half of all schools need rehabilitation. Taking it state-by-state, in Borno,
only 47 percent of schools have furniture with lower proportions in Yobe (32
percent) and Adamawa (26 percent). In Adamawa, only 30 percent of schools have
adequate learning materials for pupils with lower proportions (26 percent) in
Borno and (25 percent) in Yobe. From the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys
(MICS 2021) released by the National Bureau of Statistics, less than half of
children (48.6 per cent) complete their primary school education in north-east
Nigeria.
These explain why the challenges of out-of-school children
and the learning crises in the education sector remain critical issues that
UNICEF and stakeholders are working tirelessly to address to ensure that every
child has the opportunity that education confers and be equipped with skills to
survive and contribute positively to the society. Arguably, it is a deserving
teamwork. Other partners include; Federal Ministry of Education; State Ministry
of Education; State Universal Basic Education; Ministries of Religious Affairs;
State Agencies of Mass Education; Ministries of Reconstruction; Rehabilitation
and Resettlement; University of Maiduguri; Street Child International;
Norwegian Refugee Council; Plan International; Save the Children International;
Restoration of Hope Initiative; Goal Prime Organisation; and Education in
Emergencies Working Group.
The synergy has recorded huge achievements in the education
sector. One major accomplishment is the teachers’ training programme of the GPE
AF project, an initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the
Federal Ministry of Education; the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) and the
Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).
According to UNICEF Chief of Maiduguri Field Office, Phuong
Nguyen, the training programme has supported over 18,000 unqualified teachers
working in north-east Nigeria to study and pass the TRCN’s qualifying
examination. On February 4, 2023, these teachers were inducted and licensed
across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. The 12-month course was funded by the
GPE AF and supported by UNICEF, Teaching at the Right Level (TARL Africa) and
the Nigeria Union of Teachers. This is perhaps the first training of its kind
targeting a large cohort of teachers in Nigeria.
“At least 1 million girls and boys will benefit as these
newly certified teachers return to their classrooms equipped with modern and
effective teaching methods, including the skills to provide gender-sensitive
and psychosocial support to learners. UNICEF is excited that we might finally
be turning the tide against high dropout rate as well as facilitating access
and retention of children in school. Millions of children will surely have
better learning outcomes with a large cohort of motivated, trained, prepared,
and equipped teachers in classrooms across the north-east.
“Other aspects of the GPE AF project also target improving
access to education. Classrooms in at least 50 schools have been renovated and
50 temporary learning spaces constructed. Today, you will have the opportunity
of visiting some of these schools, seeing and interacting with some of the
newly certified teachers in action. Over 500,000 children have been provided
with learning materials. The capacity of 438 education officials have been
strengthened on education-in-emergency leadership, and result-based planning
and budgeting”, Nguyen stated at a media dialogue.
UNICEF’s priorities for education include scaling model on
Out-of-school children (OoSC) including safety; building model on transition
and completion; building system of credible, alternative pathways with
clear-cut targets from 2023 to 2027 to reduce the world’s highest number of
out-of-school children. Others are the reciprocal relationship between access
and learning/skills development; educational trajectories through an age
continuum as well as a longer-term focus and increased capacity to reach the
marginalized. Its blueprint targets that “by 2027, more children, including
adolescents, particularly the most disadvantaged, participate in quality
education, learn, and acquire skills for the future”.
In the targets of the GPE Nigeria Accelerated Funding
(Northeast), the first output is improved education-in-emergencies (EiE)
leadership and coordination, budgeting, planning, implementation, monitoring
and reporting in all three BAY states (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe). The second is
that conflict-affected children have increased access to education and child
protection services in a safe and protective learning environment. The third is
that the education system is equipped with a robust and transparent teacher
preparation and recruitment system to facilitate acquisition of grade
appropriate learning and transferable skills among conflict affected children,
whilst the fourth is that of strengthened school governance to support
education for conflict affected and internally-displaced persons (IDPs)
children.
Assessment from a field trip to three intervention centres;
Moduganari Primary School; Ngarannamn Primary School; and Yerwa Peace Estate
Primary School in Maiduguri, Borno State recently attests the partnership is
optimistic and should possibly expand beyond the northeast. The new learning
environments at the three schools with necessary facilities, visibly upgraded
to standard, are conducive and cheering to attract children for positive
learning outcomes. Learning environment and teachers’ capacity play pivotal
roles in education outcomes anywhere.
Umegboro, ACIArb, public affairs analyst and social
advocate, writes via umegborocarl@gmail.com
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