UNICEF to Katsina Gov: Ensure Budgetary Allocation for Education Tallies with Release, Expenditure 

• Lauds Gov for increasing education budget to 34%

Francis Sardauna in Katsina 

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged the Katsina State Government to ensure that budgetary allocation for education tally with release and expenditure in order to tackle the myriad of challenges bedevilling the sector in the state.

The international agency for children said the state government under the stewardship of Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has increased budgetary allocation for the education sector from 28 to 34 per cent in the 2024 fiscal year.

“UNICEF urges that this allocation be matched by release and spending,” the UNICEF Chief of Kano Field Office, Mr. Rahama Farah, said during a one-day media dialogue in Katsina.

The media dialogue on Retention, Transition and Completion (RTC) and Re-entry Guidelines for Adolescent Girls in Katsina was organised by UNICEF in collaboration with the Katsina Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.

Farah said the government should ensure that budgetary allocations to education are released at the appropriate time because the sector requires a regular flow of funds to enable it to function optimally and deliver its goals.

He, however, explained that the primary school completion rate in the state averages at 62.5 per cent compared to the national average of 73.1 per cent and 56.1 per cent for the North-west region.

He added that the transition rate to secondary school is 69.5 per cent lower than the national average of 84 per cent, with fewer girls transitioning to secondary school than boys in the state.

The UNICEF chief said only 9.2 and 13.3 per cent of Katsina children in grade 3 were able to demonstrate reading and numeracy skills compared to the national average of 26.8 and 25.3 in reading and numeracy skills.

To relieve Katsina from what he termed declining state of education, Farah said UNICEF in partnership with the state government has enrolled 123,575 boys and girls on the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP).

He reiterated that the 123,575 enrollment of the young learners in Katsina State represents 11 per cent of the total Nigeria learning passport enrollment in the country.

He noted that 500 community learning hubs have also been created in 10 frontline local government areas of the state, while 2,760 solar radios and memory sticks were provided in support of alternative learning solutions in the state.