The United Nations International Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has called for a national parenting education program which would provide opportunities to parents to fully participate in the learning process of children under 3years. UNICEF Education Specialist, Swadchet Sankey made the call in Kano state, during a media dialogue on Early Childhood Development Education.
Swatchet, who emphasized the need for parenting education, hinted that early childhood education is a key strategy to reducing over 10.5 million Out Of School Children in Nigeria. The UNICEF expert added that children with early learning are less likely to drop out of school. She also stressed the need for Nigeria to get pre-primary education right.
“All young children have equitable access to essential health, nutrition, protection and early learning services that address their developmental needs,” she said. Swadchet noted that investment in early learning would improve education outcome and promote equity.
“If adequate investment is made in early learning it will build a skilled workforce and yield high returns and benefit society,” Sankley said. Swadchet recommended National parenting Education Program which according to her would provide opportunities for parents to fully participate at the learning process of a child between ages 0-3.
She emphasized that a child remains at the center of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. “Early childhood development remains foundation for the achievement of the SDGs,” she added. According to her, SDG 4 stated that “By 2030 ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development care and pre primary education so that they are reaching for primary education.”
“Therefore UNICEF is working with Universal Basic Education Commission to train teachers and we are also working with the National Commission of Colleges of Education to review the curriculum,” Swadchet said.
Speaking on government role on early learning, UBEC Deputy Director ,Mr Mayowa Aleshin,said the Nigerian government recently mandated that 5% of UBEC allocation to state government must be expended on Early childhood care development Education in the 36 States of the federation.
“Some states said early childhood education was not their key priority so UBEC gave them free will to spend their allocation on any level of education that is important to them and this resulted to the review to 5% of their allocation mandating them that priority should be given to early childhood care education,” Mr Aleshin said.
According to the UBEC representative: “The federal government encourages communities and the pre-primary sector to establish Early Childhood Care Development Education for 0-4 while it funds one year kindergarten education.”
He added that there was the need to reform colleges of education to accommodate schools for early childhood.
