Sokoto: UNICEF, community leaders move to tackle out-of-school children menace

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with community leaders and the School-Based Management Committee (SBMC), has intensified efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children in Sokoto State.

This commitment was reaffirmed during a visit to SKS Model Primary School, Yabo, established in 1922, where stakeholders pledged to sustain enrollment and improve learning outcomes.

The UNICEF Country Representative, Ms. Wafa Said, who led the delegation, commended the school management and SBMC for their achievements in boosting enrollment but expressed concern that many children still roam the streets instead of being in classrooms.

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Representing the traditional ruler of Yabo, Mallam Abubakar, attributed the problem to poverty and poor parental sensitisation. “Many families cannot afford to keep their children in school, while some parents still lack adequate awareness of the value of education,” he said.

SBMC Chairman, Maiasua Dan Sheu, explained that the committee had returned several children to school but lamented the difficulty in sustaining them through higher education. “We have enrolled many into secondary schools, but most cannot proceed due to lack of funds,” he noted.

Also speaking, community cleric Alhaji Muhammadu said religious leaders were using Jumat sermons to campaign for child education. “We constantly preach the importance of schooling, and it has yielded positive results. Personally, I have ensured my children studied up to university and master’s levels,” he said.

Headmaster of the school, Yusuf Sharu, disclosed that SKS Model Primary currently enrolls 1,045 boys and 957 girls, with learning standards significantly improved through the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) method.

“Before the intervention, many pupils in primary 4, 5 and 6 struggled to read, but now most can recognize letters, read words, and even paragraphs. It has transformed classroom performance,” he explained.

He further applauded UNICEF for providing a borehole that improved hygiene, water access, and agricultural projects in the school. “The water project has solved scarcity challenges, enhanced handwashing practices, supported menstrual hygiene, and sustained our school garden,” he said.

The UNICEF chief head of the Sokoto field office, Michael Juma, assured that the organisation will continue supporting teacher training and urged the SBMC to expand its climate-change initiatives, including tree planting and erosion control.

Proud of the school’s legacy, community leaders recalled that SKS Model Primary had produced over 30 professors and prominent figures since its establishment more than a century ago.

The UNICEF Country Representative said this legacy proves the power of education. “When Nigerian children are given access to learning, they don’t just uplift their communities; they contribute to Africa and the world at large,” she stressed.