THISDAY

UNICEF Partners Blaugrana Internatio­nal on Education

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Mary Ekah

In towing the line of the first lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, who believes that the Nigerian child is the nation’s future, thus educating him or her qualitativ­ely is the most secure way to guarantee an assured future of the nation, UNICEF is partnering Blaugrana Group Internatio­nal in furtheranc­e of this noble effort.

In an MoU signing event in Abuja, UNICEF revealed that even when the children in their hundreds enrolled for school, it is sad that especially girls are not showing up for class. Though it is discovered that girls’ primary school attendance has gone up generally, this has not been reported for female children from the poorest households. This is one of the reason the partnershi­p between the two global giants is initiated in support of existing projects aimed at the developmen­t of and provision of quality, accessible and affordable education for the Nigerian children, perhaps the most vulnerable - the girl child in the troubled areas across the country and by extension the world. This phenomenon is a global challenge. Though in the African sphere, Nigeria is the most hit. The partners further revealed that it is a common scene to see classrooms where there are 100 pupils and one teacher, or where they learn in the most degrading environmen­t due to lack of well-defined and thought out environmen­t

In a reaction, the Chairman, Blaugrana Group Internatio­nal, Leslie Oghomienor frowned at the situation in north-eastern Nigeria, where due to the ongoing conflict hundreds of thousands of innocent children are deprived of their natural right to education.

“Teachers have paid the supreme prize in the cause of their primary duty and schools razed to the ground or shut down for reasons of sensitive security situations. For us at Blaugrana Group Internatio­nal this is the time to act to help improve our future by helping these suffering children, knowing that indirectly we are securing the lives of our own.”

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