70% OF OUT OF SCHOOL CHILDREN IN KEBBI STATE - UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday that about 70 percent of children are out of school in Kebbi State, Nigeria.

Mr. Mohammad Mohiuddin, the Zonal Head of the fund from Sokoto Field Officer, made this known to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi during the end of the year review meeting on Tuesday to review the joint Government and UNICEF Annual Work Plan 2016 and finalise the annual work plan for 2017.

Mohiuddin said, “Kebbi is one of those states in Nigeria with huge number of children who are out of the school; 70 percent of children in Kebbi are out of school.”

To address the issue in the state, the UNICEF representative stated that the fund was able to source for 75 million dollars from the Qatar Foundation under a programme called “Educate a Child Programme.”

“This programme covers four states: three states are under my office; Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara, and the other one is Katsina State. I tried my best to bring more money to Kebbi,” he said.

He disclosed that about 50 percent of the amount would be used to address the problem in nine local government areas of Kebbi State.

On the purpose of the review meeting, Mohiuddin explained that the trust of the discussion between Kebbi State and UNICEF was to look back and see the progress made, the challenges faced and how those problems were going to be addressed.