Malala’s visit drew attention to education crisis in Nigeria —UNICEF

UNICEF on Thursday said the visit by the UN Ambassador of Peace, Malala Yousafzai, to Nigeria had elicited attention to crisis affecting the education sector in the country.

This is contained in a statement signed by Doune Porter, Chief of Communications, UNICEF Nigeria, and made available to newsmen in Maiduguri.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Malala had visited Borno on July 18, as part of her visit to Nigeria.

She met with school girls displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in various IDPs camps in Maiduguri.

“Nigeria is the richest country in Africa, but has more girls out of school than any other country in the world.

“Studies are clear; educating girls grows economies, reduces conflict and improves public health.

“For these girls and for their country’s future, Nigeria’s leaders must immediately prioritise education,” the statement quoted Malala as saying.

The UNICEF also disclosed in the statement that 2,295 teachers were killed and 19,000 displaced while 1,400 schools were destroyed during the Boko Haram insurgency since 2009.

“Three million children in the North-East are in need of support to keep learning,” it said.

According to the statement, thousands of displaced persons took refuge in 90 camps and camp-like settings in Maiduguri.

It also said that more than three-quarters of the 600, 000 displaced persons were living with relatives in the host communities, thus stretching the burden on local schools.

“UNICEF is working closely with the government and partners to put children in the North-East back into learning environments.

“More than 525,000 children have been enrolled in school this year alone, over 37 temporary learning centres established and about 92,000 packs of learning materials distributed to help children continue their education,” it added.