The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for increased budgetary allocation for Early Childhood Care, Development and Education for children (ECCDE) in Northwest and North east.
In his statemen Mr. Rahama Farah, Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Kano, made the call at a two-day workshop on Evidence Advocacy and Policy Dialogue for Increased Funding to the ECCDE Sub sector in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States in Kano today.
Farah, represented by education specialist, Kano Field Office, Mr Michael Banda, explained that Early childhood care ,education and development was crucial because it leverages a time of significant brain development in children.
According to him, quality ECCED could set the foundation for good health, nutrition, learning success, social-emotional development, and economic productivity throughout life.
Banda added that failure to provide qualitative early childhood education limits children’s futures by denying them opportunities to reach their full potential.
Mr Banda however , said that early education provides the highest return on investment of all education sub-sectors, lamented that it receives the smallest share of government expenditure compared to primary, secondary education.
He urged governments at all levels in the North West to increase funding for Early Childhood Care, Development Education.
According to him, quality ECCED could set the foundation for good health, nutrition, learning success, social-emotional development, and economic productivity throughout life.
“Despite these benefits, ECCED often receives low priority in education policies and funding.Increased budgetary allocation will significantly impact developmental outcomes for children,” he said.
Earlier on his remarks the chairman SUBEB Jigawa state Prof Haruna Musa said the early childhood was a critical period which any country must pay attention to as doing so ,would improve the economic outcome of the child, noting that the period must be consciously built to contribute to the child’s early transformation.
“childhood education is very important especially from age 0-5 , once a child miss that small window it could be very difficult for him /her to developed the way it should be”
Musa also appreciate UNICEF for their efforts on child development .
The UNICEF Education Specialist, Abuja,Yetunde Oluwatosin, said that the percentage of children in need of good early childhood care and education was alarming.
“ early childhood was a critical period which any country must pay attention to as doing so would improve the economic outcome of the child, noting that the period must be consciously built to contribute to the child’s early transformation.”
Yetunde then called for increased funding for early childhood education sector in Northwest for children in the areas to reach their full potential.
Some of the stakeholders from Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states who spoke at the dialogue promised to give priority attention and adequate funding for the sectors.