By James Ogunnaike, ABEOKUTA

Worried by the high number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, the United Nations Population Fund, UNPF, has called on the Federal Government to engage critical stakeholders in the nation’s education sector in proffering lasting solutions to the menace.

The UNPF made the call in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital at a workshop on Civil Society Engagement on Covid-19 Response for community stakeholders in Abeokuta-South and Ado-Odo-Ota local government areas of the state.

The workshop, organised in conjunction with the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, PPFN, a non-governmental organisation that promotes sexual and reproductive health and rights in the country, was on community action plan relating to the effects of covid-19.

The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, on Tuesday, had disclosed that Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in Sub-Sahara Africa with over 10 million affected children.

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The Focal Person for the PPFN, Omotayo Adeyemo, said curbing the menace of out-of-school children in the Nigerian society would require not only the effort of the government but the joint forces of the government and the people.

She explained that the programme was organised for community and religious leaders in both local governments, adding that the PPFN was working on five communities and 11 Primary Health Care centres in the selected local government areas.

The fifty participants who were drawn from both local governments were trained to develop action plans on how to reduce the effect of covid-19 pandemic in their society as it relates to gender base violence.

She argued that quality education is a fundamental right of Nigerian child, adding that the federal government must intensify efforts in winning the fight against the narrative.

She said “the children must get their rights as regards basic education. If those children are not sent to school, the effect on the community would be devastating.”

She stressed that we have criminal cases in the society because of lack of basic education.

According to her, “We all have a part to play in curbing this menace. It begins from the family and the community, where these particular youths are staying.

“There are public schools where the adolescents can go to. There is free education in government public schools. If parents cannot afford private schools, let them send their children to public schools.”

Adeyemo ascribed reoccurring criminal cases in the nation to lack of education and inability of the Nigerian child to access quality education.

“The government is trying, but there is a need for improvement. Not only the government, also the civil society.

“Government should call all the important stakeholders together and plan to resolve the challenges.”

Vanguard News Nigeria