Andy Esiet,, Calabar
The United Nations Children’s Fund ((UNICEF) has decried the poor rate of children enrollment in schools in Nigeria, saying the need to embrace the Nigerian Learning Passport (NLP) programme is now.
Giving an overview on Nigeria’s education enrollment at a one day Media Dialogue on Communication Results for Uptake on NLP for Journalists in three States of Enugu, Benue and Cross River”, the UNICEF Education Specialist, UNICEF Field Office, Enugu, Dr. Agatha Nzeribe said three out of four children cannot read or solve mathematics problems.
She said that the challenges to access quality education and learning pathways for learners, teachers, facilitators and education providers have been difficult and even most children are in (Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, learn the life there and “this is dangerous for Nigeria” .
In this regards, Nzeribe said “NLP aims to stop this gap and transform education through online learning as it It provides opportunities for communities and children to engage. Digital learning is key to the future because everything is digital today”
She stated that under the NLP which is a new solution designed to close learning gaps, “we are targeting learners, educators, community members and others as NLP is available to improve your skill and it has ways to reach the children, like through formal and informal methods” as NLP has come to stay in Nigeria. It targets children, parents and everybody giving them opportunity to learn in all fields.
To drive home the programme effectively, she stated that the media is expected to do much to promote NLP by churning out articles on NLP, run press releases, do features, run jingles and other reports in radio television, the print and social media and also do direct mail and email campaigns aligned to target audience containing key messages on the NLP.
Speaking on the objectives of the one- day meeting, held at hotel Fildelma, Independence Layout Enugu state, UNICEF Communications Officer, Dr. Ijeoma Onuoha-Igwe, said the objectives of the workshop are to “identify media networks in the three states, set agenda for NLP as well as to generate stories on NLP from the three focus states of Benue, Cross River and Enugu.
She stated that UNICEF is operating in 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive from early childhood through adolescence and the with NLP, it is expected that the media will use available veritable media channels to increase demand and awareness for NLP in all the states of the Federation.
Cross River is expected to register 27,000 children between June – December, 2023 for the NLP but so far only 27 are on the platform which Ogwo said was not encouraging hence the relevant officers in the state’s Ministry of Education should step effort to ensure a better uptake before the year runs out.
On his part, the expert on digital program from Enugu Ministry of Education, Mr. Celestine Ngwu, took the participants through the processes of getting children to register by use of phone or email to benefit from the NLP programme.
