UNESCO’s Director-General welcomes the reopening of the lyceums in Borno
UNESCO’s Director-General welcomes the reopening of the lyceums in Borno
UNESCO, 21 Sep 2016
URL: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/unescos_director_general_welcomes_the_reopening_of_the_ly/#.V-UC1SHJxD9
Wednesday 21 September – UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova welcomed the reopening of the lyceums in the State of Borno, in northeast Nigeria, an area suffering from attacks by violent extremist armed groups.
“Education and especially girls’ education is a human right, a transformative force and one of the most important investments for development. It is also the cornerstone of peace. That is why we must do everything to ensure the release of the young girls abducted by violent extremists – and we stand with each one of those affected. The reopening of schools is an encouraging step towards rebuilding a more resilient society, by empowering youth with knowledge, skills and opportunities,” said the Director-General. “This reopening is a call to action, and UNESCO is more determined than ever to strengthen its programmes in Nigeria.”
Education is a pillar of UNESCO’s partnership with Nigeria, notably through projects to improve youth and adult literacy, equip youth with technical and vocational skills for gainful employment and empower girls and women harnessing information and communication technologies, with Procter & Gamble. In the framework of the Malala Fund, UNESCO supports efforts to strengthen the safety of teachers and create a safer learning environment in the three Emergency States. UNESCO also contributes to the implementation of President Buhari’s Initiative on North-East (PINE) related to the reconstruction of the education system in this northern part of the country.
As shown by UNESCO latest Global Education Monitoring Report, children in conflict are at a much higher risk of exclusion from education. Children living in conflict areas are more than twice as likely to be out of school and girls are two and a half more times likely to be out of school.
“Education and especially girls’ education is a human right, a transformative force and one of the most important investments for development. It is also the cornerstone of peace. That is why we must do everything to ensure the release of the young girls abducted by violent extremists – and we stand with each one of those affected. The reopening of schools is an encouraging step towards rebuilding a more resilient society, by empowering youth with knowledge, skills and opportunities,” said the Director-General. “This reopening is a call to action, and UNESCO is more determined than ever to strengthen its programmes in Nigeria.”
Education is a pillar of UNESCO’s partnership with Nigeria, notably through projects to improve youth and adult literacy, equip youth with technical and vocational skills for gainful employment and empower girls and women harnessing information and communication technologies, with Procter & Gamble. In the framework of the Malala Fund, UNESCO supports efforts to strengthen the safety of teachers and create a safer learning environment in the three Emergency States. UNESCO also contributes to the implementation of President Buhari’s Initiative on North-East (PINE) related to the reconstruction of the education system in this northern part of the country.
As shown by UNESCO latest Global Education Monitoring Report, children in conflict are at a much higher risk of exclusion from education. Children living in conflict areas are more than twice as likely to be out of school and girls are two and a half more times likely to be out of school.