The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed serious concern over the dropout rates among adolescents in primary and secondary schools across Nigeria’s Southwest region, which includes Ekiti, Oyo, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, and Ogun states.
According to UNICEF’s Education Specialist, Azuka Menkiti, dropout rates in the region range between 8-15%.
This concern was highlighted following a two-day regional stakeholders’ meeting focused on addressing the challenges of out-of-school children, and improving retention, transition, and completion rates in secondary education.
The meeting was held in Ibadan and attended by key educational leaders from the Southwest states.
Menkiti pointed out that while the completion rates for primary and secondary education among adolescents aged 10 to 18 are relatively high—92% for primary and 85% for secondary—there remains a significant shortfall that could adversely affect the education sector if not addressed.
“This shortfall in retention and completion rates could have a severe impact on both the state and the country’s educational development,” she warned.
UNICEF’s efforts in the region build on a decade of intervention in girls’ education, which has successfully demonstrated scalable strategies to keep girls in school.
Menkiti emphasized that the focus is now on understanding and tackling the factors driving the dropout rates among adolescents.
During the meeting, participants, including commissioners, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) chairmen, and other educational officials from the Southwest, reviewed successful intervention models. They discussed how these models could be adapted to address the unique challenges within their states.
Menkiti highlighted three core areas of focus for UNICEF in the education sector: system strengthening, expanding access to education, and improving the quality of learning opportunities.
UNICEF is also advocating for the states to ensure adequate funding for secondary education and to develop credible data that can support advocacy and policy-making.
UNICEF is working closely with community structures, religious leaders, and other stakeholders to address the social norms that contribute to children dropping out of school. The goal is to create an environment where all children, especially those at risk of dropping out, have the opportunity to complete their secondary education.
By addressing these challenges, UNICEF hopes to improve retention, transition, and completion rates in secondary education across the Southwestern region of Nigeria, ultimately enhancing the overall quality of education in the country.