By Peter Okutu

ABAKALIKI—THE recent survey carried out by some educational institutions in the country indicate that there are more pre-school children out of school than those attending classes in Ebonyi State.

This index was arrived at by the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 2011) in collaboration with United Nations International Children Education Fund, UNICEF and National Bureau of Statistics, NBS; National Household Demographic Survey (NHDS 2013) and Education Management Information System, EMIS (2011) of the Ebonyi State Ministry of Education.

According to the survey, only 43 percent of Ebonyi state pre-school children are presently attending any form of organized school system while 57 percent are out of school following some existing negative factors impeding learning in the state.

This development however made United Nations International Children Education Fund, UNICEF in collaboration with the Ebonyi State Universal Basic Education Board, UBEB to inaugurate an Enrollment Drive Campaign in communities across the 13 local government areas to tackle the ugly trend.