Northwest accounts for 1.5 million out-of-school children — UNICEF
By Pulse Time Nigeria.
Amid celebrations to mark the 2025 World Children’s Day, children in Kano have called on governments at all levels to prioritise safety in schools and put an end to harassment by teachers, which they say causes depression and drives pupils away from education.
A student, Laila Musa, who spoke at the event, pleaded with the government to provide “extremely security in school inside rural and urban areas,” insisting that children have the right to education regardless of their location.
Echoing her sentiment, another child, Yusif Ahmad, called on teachers to stop harassing students, noting that such abuse causes depression and makes children avoid school.
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The Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Kano, Rahama Rihoood Mohammed Farah, who presented the report, corroborated the children’s concerns, highlighting that insecurity and poverty remain major barriers to education in the North.
The UNICEF report indicated that the three Northwestern states of Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa account for a staggering 1.5 million of Nigeria’s 10.2 million out-of-school children.
She stated, “Education gaps persist as millions of children in the North are out of school, and many who attend struggle to learn due to overcrowded classrooms, insecurity, and poverty.”
Beyond the education sector, the report also exposed a severe malnutrition crisis, with Nigeria ranking as the first in Africa and second globally for the number of malnourished children.
Citing the 2024 National Demographic Health Survey, Farah revealed that “more than half of children under five are stunted: Katsina 64.6%; Kano 51.9%; Jigawa 55.7%.”
Despite the statistics, the UNICEF Chief outlined significant interventions and progress in the region. She noted that Jigawa’s ‘Masaki Initiative’ against malnutrition is now a model for other states, while Katsina, Kano, and Jigawa have each committed one billion Naira for nutritional therapeutic foods.
She also announced that Katsina has attained Open Defecation Free status, becoming the second state in the region after Jigawa to do so.
To safeguard the future of Nigerian children, UNICEF called for collaborative action to deliver vaccines and nutrition, invest in safe and climate-resilient schools, strengthen child protection systems, and expand social protection for vulnerable families.