CSOs Unveil Roadmap To Tackle Out-of-School Children Crisis

In commemoration of International Literacy Day 2023, Policy House International, in collaboration with the Social and Economic Research and Development Centre (SERDC), Ready to Lead Africa (RTLA), and TiFA-CDI, has set a roadmap to end the out-of-school children crisis in Nigeria by 2027.

The roadmap, which was developed by a team of experts from the four organizations, was a comprehensive four-year strategy that will address the root causes of the crisis.

The strategy includes the following key priorities: Investment in identified infrastructure, including ICT; Increased teacher training, recruitment, and targeted deployment; Incentives for parents in the most vulnerable regions; investment in curriculum and prioritization of STEM, and encouraging nutrition and school feeding.

The roadmap also calls for the enrollment of 11,341,854 children in school, the construction of 89,9000 new classrooms, the training and deployment of 48,000 teachers, the deployment of 92,000 offline tablets, and the provision of complimentary financing of $400 million.

1.6m Children Out-of-School In Borno, Adamawa, Yobe – UNICEF

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The strategy, according to the organisations, will be implemented in 20 states of Nigeria, which are home to 75% of the out-of-school children in the country. The organizations, therefore, called on the government, donors, and other stakeholders to support the implementation of the strategy.

Executive Director of Policy House International, Taiwo Akerele, said the roadmap was a significant step towards addressing the out-of-school children crisis in Nigeria.

“If implemented effectively, the strategy could help to ensure that every child in Nigeria has access to quality education,” he added.

LEADERSHIP reports that the International Literacy Day is celebrated every year on September 8 to raise awareness on the importance of literacy. The theme for this year’s International Literacy Day is ‘Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies’

The out-of-school children crisis is a major problem in Nigeria. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), there are an estimated 10.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, the highest number in any country in Africa. The crisis is caused by a number of factors, including poverty, conflict, and discrimination.

Akerele emphasised that presentations have been made to the presidency and other relevant bodies of government, including the Nigeria Governor’s Forum.

The roadmap developed by Policy House International and its partners is a comprehensive plan to address the out-of-school children crisis in Nigeria. If implemented effectively, the strategy could help to ensure that every child in Nigeria has access to quality education.