Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
The 13-year conflict has denied 7.4 million children and other people of education and healthcare delivery services in the Northeast.
Already, about 1.9 million children and youths affected by insurgency in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states have no access to basic quality education.
Raising the alarm of denials, yesterday (Tuesday), in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, the new UNICEF representative in Nigeria, Ms Christian Munduate, disclosed that; “About 56 per cent of displaced children across the BAY states are out of school.
Besides, she added that only 29% of schools in the insurgency affected states have teachers with the minimum level of teaching qualification.
She also lamented the pupil-teacher ratio in the three states at 124 to one.
“Only 47 percent of schools have adequate furniture,” she said, noting that Yobe and Adamawa states have lower proportions of 32% and 26% respectively.
Speaking on water supply, sanitation and hygiene in schools, she disclosed that less than half of the schools have access to adequate and safe portable water.
She declared that there are an average of 262 students for each provided latrine.
Despite the denials of education, Munduate further disclosed that; “About 5.5 million people in the region need equitable access to quality healthcare services,” stating that over 1, 000 functional health facilities are grossly understaffed, particularly the technical ones.
On the region’s mortality rates, she said: “The Northeast recorded 576 per 100, 000 maternal mortality rate, while the under-five mortality rate stood at 134 per 100, 000.”
She added that malnutrition, has not spared the children, as over 300,000 children of 0-59 months are affected by Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
According to her, about 40 per cent of children in the Northeast are affected by one or more forms of malnutrition.
In prioritizing children’s needs, she said: “Governments and other stakeholders have responsibilities to improve the education of children by prioritizing the solutions of retaining them in schools with water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities in communities and schools.
“The Governments and other critical stakeholders should be committed and accountable to the people,” she said.
End.
