Two NGOs, Save the Children, and BIC West and Central Africa, have distributed 100,000 lucky pens and other learning materials to schools in Borno, and Cross River.
Ms Mercy Gichuhi, Country Director, Save the Children International Nigeria, in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, said the gesture was in support of safe school resumption for some vulnerable children in Nigeria.
Gichuhi commended BIC, the world’s leading stationary brand for the donation that demonstrated their commitment and support toward children’s rights to access safe, free and quality education in Nigeria.
“Even though primary education is officially free and compulsory in Nigeria, about 10.5 million school-age children are still out of school.
“This is highest number in the world due to lack of access, displacement, cultural norms, safety concerns and unaffordability of scholastic materials, such as pens, pencils, and school bags, among others.
“Therefore, distribution of the school supply is expected to support school resumption, retention, and transition of students to their next grades.’’
Gichuhi said that due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the poorest and marginalised children were most at risk of losing out on learning and not returning to the classroom.
She said that children faced being forced into child marriage or child labour, and they were at increased risk of having their education and development truncated.
She said it was a known fact from previous crisis that the longer children were out of school, the greater the risk that they would never return and that they would lose out on vital learning.
“Therefore, Save the Children is proud to partner with BIC.
“We jointly urge other conglomerates and private sector actors to channel their corporate-social responsibilities toward improving the safety, quality, and access to education for every last child in Nigeria.”
Gichuhi thanked BIC, adding that the gift would motivate pupils toward pursuing their education and achieving their dreams.
According to her, Save the Children has urged all tiers of government to increase education funding, create targeted interventions to help the most marginalised groups of children.
This, according to her are children who are at the highest risk of dropping out to return to school, including girls, children with disabilities, internally displaced children, and refugees.
Youth Ambassador, Save the Children International Nigeria, Maryam Ahmad said that being out of school had a significant impact on the protection and wellbeing of children.
Ahmad said that this increased their vulnerability to exploitation, violence, abuse and neglect.
She said that these included the risk of early child marriage, harmful work, recruitment and children being used by armed groups, violence in the home and psychological distress.
According to Guillaume Groups, BIC Senior Sales Manager West & Central Africa and Deputy General Manager Lucky Stationary Nigeria Ltd, the pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the education sector globally, and more so in Nigeria.
Groups said that BIC believed that education had the power to transform the world.
“As a brand, we are committed to playing our part in helping to improve the learning conditions of 250 million children around the world.
“We are proud to team-up with Save the Children to help reach students in need in hopes of sparking joy and imagination during these difficult times.”