By Tina George, Minna
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE), Professor Bashir Usman has disclosed that recent survey and monitoring carried out by the Commission revealed that Kano, Jigawa and Kaduna states were high in nomadic girl-child drop out.
He stated this at the advocacy, sensitization and mobilization workshop for the promotion of Nomadic girl child education in Nigeria held in Minna on Thursday.
The Executive Secretary revealed that the rates of enrollment, attendance, progression, completion and transition of girls in nomadic schools were abysmally low.
Usman said that the survey and monitoring were carried out in the North-West, South-East and South-West, adding that the other zones would soon be monitored after which a comprehensive report would be released.
“We have complied ghe results of three zones which is the North-West, South-East and South-West and have seen that there is a significant drop out of nomadic girl child from schools. We are not yet through with the monitoring, we will make the statistics public when we are through. “
Usman then said that various strategies were being developed to address the worrisome challenge pointing out that girl child education in northern Nigeria was a critical issue that requires collective social action.
He advocated for the promotion of girl child education among stakeholders and the nomads in northern Nigeria stressing the need for increased access and equity for nomadic pupils in basic education in terms of pupils enrolment, attendance, progression, completion, graduation and transition racially for the girl child.
Also, the Director of the Department of Social Mobilization and Women Development said the participation of nomadic girls dropped significantly at the upper primary because majority if the girls did not complete primary six and therefore did not have the opportunity to transist to junior secondary schools.
He identified threats to the effective participation of the nomadic girl child in schools as early marriage, poverty, lack of finacial support, fear of molestation, absence of female teachers, cultural and religious misconceptions as well as teenage pregnancy.
