Less than 30% of primary school girls in Nigeria transit to JSS, says UBEC

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has revealed that less than 30 per cent of the total primary six female pupils in Nigeria usually transit on yearly basis to the junior secondary schools nationwide.

The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, gave the revelation on Wednesday in Lagos at the ongoing regional consultative meeting with the adolescent school girls from the south-west region on the challenges of girl- child transition to junior secondary schools in Nigeria.

The three-day event with female pupils from Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Kwara, Ondo and Osun states as participants with their officials is organised by UBEC in conjunction with UNICEF Nigeria and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office(FCDO) and various state’s universal basic education boards (SUBEBs).

The commission is expected to hold similar forum in other regions of the country.

Speaking further, Bobboyi, who was represented at the event by the Deputy Executive Secretary (Services), UBEC, Dr Isiaka Kolawole, said the over 70 per cent drop-out among school girls at primary six education was not only disturbing and anti-development, but also totally unacceptable as a country.

He said though government at both federal and state levels with their agencies as well as private organisations and individuals had over time come up with various interventions to address girl-child education and challenges in the country, a lot more are needed to be done to arrive at a desirable destination.

It is in this regard, he explained, that UBEC is championing a renewed concerns and developping programmes to reverse the trend permanently.

He said since UBEC could not do the work alone, the commission collaborates with other public spirited organisations such as UNICEF to find out the real reasons many school girls drop-out after primary six education and then proffer a common and workable solution to retain them even to higher education level.

He said evidences had shown that it is only in informed and enlightened society through quality and quantitative education that both boys and girls can develop their full potentials for quality and better life anywhere globally.

He, however, commended UNICEF Nigeria and other partnering institutions for joining hands with the commission to ensure every Nigerian girl-child is not only educated but grow to become a responsible mother and also take position of higher responsibilities in the society.

He said UBEC would not rest on its oars to expand access for quality education beyond basic level for both boys and girls in the country irrespective of their religion, ethnic, cultural and family backgrounds.

In her own remark, Education Specialist, UNICEF Abuja, Nigeria, Mrs Azuka Menkiti, said UNICEF is also disturbed and worried by the high number of drop-out school age going girls in Nigeria, saying all efforts to get them enrolled and retained them even beyond basic education is worth pursuing.

She said though Unicef Nigeria relies on Nigerian government statistics on societal issues, including that of gender transition from one level of education to another, the organisation is always ready to collaborate with government and relevant institutions to address societal problems hindering children education.

She said certainly many factors are responsible for girls dropping out of schools and these vary from one region of the country to another, but the bottom line which is the essence of the forum is to find suitable and workable solutions to address them wholistically in the country.

In his own contribution, the Executive Chairman of Lagos SUBEB, Mr Wahab Alawiye-King, re-echoed that the initiative of digging into real problems that prevent many girls from going beyond primary schools would go a long way to help finding effective solutions that would not only encourage all girls to transit from primary to junior seecondary schools but also to retain them for completion of basic education and also go further to higher level.

He said that was why Lagos State for example had come up with a “no child either boy or girl will be left behind policy” in education.

According to him, while the state government is encouraging all school going age girls to be enrolled in school and complete their education even to the university level, no boy is expected to be left behind.

He, however, commended UBEC leadership for coming up with various initiatives that can further lift basic education to appreciable height in the country.

He said the long-term effects of these efforts would certainly come in form of education development and economic prosperity for the country.

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