In the fight against the growing number of out-of-school children in Adamawa, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the Adamawa State Government, has engaged traditional institutions to tackle the trend.
Speaking during an orientation and engagement session held on Monday in Numan for traditional rulers in the southern zone of the state, UNICEF Education Specialist, Dr. Abdulrahaman Ibrahim Ado, emphasized the importance of traditional leaders in driving educational progress in their communities.
“Recognizing your influence at the grassroots level, traditional rulers are well-positioned to lead advocacy campaigns promoting school enrollment, especially for girls and ensuring children remain in school,” he said.
Ado explained that the engagement is to strengthen the role of traditional rulers in increasing school enrollment, retention, and transition rates, particularly among out-of-school children, girls, and vulnerable learners across the state.
“This platform aims to secure renewed commitment from traditional leaders to serve as education champions within their communities—supporting advocacy, monitoring, and mobilization efforts.
“It also seeks to align traditional institutions with state education priorities, policies, and donor-supported initiatives,” Dr. Ado said,
He added that the session would generate actionable resolutions and a follow-up mechanism for sustained collaboration among traditional leaders, the Ministry of Education, the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs), and development partners to remove barriers to education access and improve learning outcomes.
In a presentation on the status of out-of-school children in Adamawa, Mr. Rufus Isiah Hanawa, Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics in the state Ministry of Education, revealed that 18,950 children are currently out of school in the state.
Hanawa also noted that, at the national level, approximately 10.2 million children are out of school, with 8.1 million at the junior secondary school level, and called for urgent, collective efforts to address the alarming situation.
Earlier in her remarks, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Bauchi, highlighted the critical role of traditional leaders in reducing the number of out-of-school children.
She stated that UNICEF remains committed to initiatives that ensure no child is left behind, particularly in areas of health and education.
Responding on behalf of the Emirs and Chiefs, the paramount ruler of Bachama Chiefdom, His Majesty, Hama Bachama Ismaila Daniel Shaga, pledged the full support of traditional rulers in ensuring the success of the initiative.
Hama Bachama urged the Adamawa State Government to urgently address the dilapidated infrastructure in the education sector.
The one-day engagement was attended by all six first-class traditional rulers from the Adamawa Southern Zone, some senior government officials, and stakeholders in the education sector.
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