UNICEF’s chief field officer in Kano, Rahama Farah, has urged for a higher budget allocation for early childhood care, development, and education in the North-West. Farah made this appeal at a workshop in Kano, focusing on advocating for increased funding in the ECCDE sub-sector for Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa.
Farah highlighted the importance of early childhood education, stating that it is a critical period for significant brain development in children. She emphasized that quality early childhood education and care (ECCED) lays the groundwork for children’s future health, nutrition, academic success, social-emotional growth, and economic contributions.
Despite the clear benefits, ECCED often gets overlooked in education policies and funding, according to Farah. She pointed out that increasing the budget for ECCED would greatly improve children’s developmental outcomes.
The UNICEF officer warned that without quality early childhood education, children are denied the chance to reach their full potential, which limits their futures. She noted that early education offers the highest return on investment compared to other education sectors but receives the smallest portion of government spending.
Farah called on governments in the North-West to boost their funding for ECCED to ensure children can fulfill their potential. Prior to her remarks, Yetunde Oluwatosin, a UNICEF education specialist, expressed concern over the high number of children in need of quality early childhood care and education. She stressed the importance of focusing on this critical period for the child’s economic future and overall development.
Oluwatosin also advocated for more funding for early childhood education in the North-West to help children in these areas achieve their maximum potential.