Northeast Nigeria has been blighted by insurgency violence, which has negatively impacted access to education among the region’s children.
Qatar’s Education Above All Foundation (EAA) announced the successful completion of the Improving Access to Education for Conflict-Affected Children in Northeast Nigeria initiative.
In collaboration with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), EAA launched the two-year initiative to combat the rates of out-of-school children (OOSC) in northeastern Nigeria, particularly in the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY).
EAA said on Monday the initial goal was to enrol at least 20,000 OOSC. However, since the start of the campaign, 21,589 young people between the ages of 7 to 14 have benefited from receiving instruction at the 643 non-formal education centres established within community primary schools.
The improving educational access programme has also renovated 29 classrooms in the region – bolstering the quality of education received by northeast Nigeria’s most vulnerable children.
‘Steadfast commitment’
The collaborative efforts between the EAA and the IRC also prioritise bridging the education gap. With the support of the programme, students enrolled in non-formal educational structures successfully transitioned into formal education systems.
Additionally, students throughout the BAY states were provided with necessary schooling materials, such as exercise books, school bags and writing materials. This supported 7,268 girls and 6,945 boys across 48 formal primary schools within the region.
For Babatunde Ojei, the IRC Country Director in Nigeria, although the improving educational access programme has been completed, “We remain steadfast in our commitment to improving education access for vulnerable children, recognising it as a cornerstone for building resilience and fostering a brighter future in regions affected by conflict.”
This news follows the signing of several agreements between the State of Qatar and Nigeria, including within the field of education, during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state visit.
Violent insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast
The Improving Access to Education for Conflict-Affected Children in Northeast Nigeria was launched to support children in BAY who had been negatively impacted by internal displacement, poverty and insecurity induced by insurgency groups targeting state security forces.
The goal was to provide safe routes to affordable and functional educational centres for the sake of northern Nigeria’s future leaders.
Challenges to this mission still pervade.
On March 6, Reuters reported that at least 50 people, mostly women, were victims of a mass kidnapping in Nigeria’s northeast.
In the past ten years, the region has been blighted by insurgency violence, which has killed and displaced scores of people.
According to a 2023 survey of northeastern Nigeria’s Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states by the International Organization for Migration, at least 2,295,534 people from 471,346 households are internally displaced.
