As Nigeria joins other countries across the world to celebrate this year’s International Youth Day, a media support organisation, Development Communication Network, has urged the Federal Government to declare state of emergency in the nation’s education sector.
The group in a statement over the weekend and signed by the Programme Officer, Communications, Fausiat Bakere- Balogun urged Nigerian youths, the Nigerian government as well as parents and guardians to take education as a paramount goal and a basic necessity of life.
Bakere- Bologun  said that education is capable of saving the country’s future and disclosed that this year’s International Youth Day comes up on August 12, 2019,with the theme “Transforming Education” , adding that it is pertinent to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” as enshrined in Goal 4 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
He explained that education is the best gift to bequeath to a child as it gives people the tools to help provide for themselves in the future, adding that it has positive impact on key development parameters such that the rate of poverty, early girl child pregnancies and other social vices.
According to him, “Nigeria needs to take action now to prepare the youth population to take over leadership roles as evidenced in most progressive countries today. The involvement and education of young people in all facets of life should be taken with all seriousness.
“Evidences abound that educating girls is a major strategy to reducing poverty in Nigeria.  Therefore government needs to ensure it breaks every barrier in order to make education and sexuality education a reality for every child especially girls. It needs to intensify efforts in monitoring outcomes, investing in teachers, making education either affordable or free and update education sector plan.”
The group, a media support organization with resources to help journalists in reporting science, public health and social sector issues regretted that “the statistics of out of school children is alarming, and a state of emergency should be declared on the country’s education sector.
“Educating children contributes to the economy, increase health gains, as people are more knowledgeable, and also help create world leaders. Not declaring a state of emergency on education is quietly stealing the potential of every Nigerian and the impact is not immediately visible till it’s too late”.
He revealed that UNICEF’s recent statistics indicates that Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world (10.5 million) with sixty per cent (60%) in Northern Nigeria.  Also, about 60% of out-of-school children are girls. Majority of the girls enroll in school but many of those who do enroll, drop out early. Some of the factors that increases drop out statistics in Nigeria includes, low perceptions of the value of education for girls, early marriages and low socio-economic status.