UNICEF seeks funding for early childhood education in North West
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for increased budgetary allocation for Early Childhood Care, Development and Education for children (ECCDE) in the North-West.
Mr Rahama Farah, Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Kano, made the call at a two-day workshop on Evidence Advocacy and Policy Dialogue for Increased Funding to the ECCDE Sub-sector in Kano and Katsina States as well as Jigawa on Wednesday in Kano.
Farah, represented by an Education Specialist, Mr Michael Banda, explained that early childhood care, education and development were crucial because they leverage a time of significant brain development in children.
According to him, quality ECCED could set the foundation for good health, nutrition, learning success, social-emotional development, and economic productivity throughout life.
“In spite of these benefits, ECCED often receives low priority in education policies and funding.Increased budgetary allocation will significantly impact developmental outcomes for children,” he said.
Farah added that failure to provide quality early childhood education limits children’s futures by denying them opportunities to reach their full potential.
The Chief of Kano Field Office said that early education provides the highest return on investment of the all education sub-sectors.
He, however, lamented that it receives the smallest share of government expenditure compared to primary and secondary education.
Farah urged governments at all levels in the North-West to increase funding for Early Childhood Care, Development and Education.
Earlier, the UNICEF Education Specialist, Abuja,Yetunde Oluwatosin, said that the percentage of children in need of good early childhood care and education was alarming.
She said that early childhood was a critical period which any country must pay attention to.
”Doing so would improve the economic outcome of the child. The period must be consciously built to contribute to the child’s early transformation,” she said.
Yetunde, then, called for increased funding for the early childhood education sector in North-West for children in the areas to reach their full potential.
Some of the stakeholders, who spoke at the dialogue promised to give priority attention and adequate funding for the sector.
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