A 2023 report from UNICEF has revealed alarming statistics on the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, highlighting a significant educational crisis in the Northern region.
The data reveals a distressing contrast between the northern and southern regions of Nigeria.
Northern Nigeria accounts for an overwhelming 85% of the total number of out-of-school children, with 15.23 million children affected.
Breaking it down further, the North West region has the highest number of out-of-school children at 8.04 million, followed by the North East with 5.06 million, and the North Central region with 2.12 million.
In contrast, Southern Nigeria, with a total of 2.58 million out-of-school children, fares relatively better.
The South West region has 1.15 million children out of school, the South-South has 769,000, and the South East reports the lowest number at 664,000.
UNICEF attributes the high number of out-of-school children in the northern regions to several factors, including insurgency, poverty, and cultural barriers.
The ongoing conflict in the North East, driven by groups such as Boko Haram, has severely disrupted education systems, leading to school closures and displacement of families.
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