By; MATTHEW UKACHUNWA, Lagos
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria has expressed displeasure that in Nigeria, primary education is officially free and compulsory, but 18 million of the country’s children aged five to 14 years are not in school.
UNICEF also disclosed that only 61 per cent of six-year olds regularly attend primary school in Nigeria.
UNICEF Nigeria stated this in a news release made available by its Communication Officer, Blessing Ejiofor, in commemoration of year 2023 International Children’s Day of Broadcasting.
“The 2023 International Children’s Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) comes up on Sunday 4th, March 2023.
“The ICDB was launched by UNICEF in 1991 to encourage broadcasters worldwide to create awareness on children’s issues.
“It’s a day broadcasters allow children to be part of the programming process, to talk about their hopes, dreams and exchange ideas with their peers on issues affecting them,” UNICEF explained.
The theme for this year’s celebration is, “More Money for Primary Education”.
The UN agency said that adequate funding of primary education will create an enabling environment for increased demand for qualitative education which is the bedrock of enhanced knowledge, improved behaviour and personal growth of the children.
“We therefore, enjoin broadcasters to open airwaves to the children for this year’s celebration and throughout the year and also to produce documentaries that highlight the plight of children in Nigeria,” the international authority on children’s well-being said in the news statement dated March 1, 2023.
