The deputy governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Aishah Ahmad, has called for an inclusive, quality and equitable education for Nigerian children regardless of social status, gender, religion and physical ability.

Ms Ahmad spoke at the annual general meeting of the Federal Government Girls’ College, Bida Old Girls Association, in Abuja on Saturday.

“Quality and inclusive education is a precursor to economic mobility, growth and development of any nation, and sadly, we are far from this ideal,” she said.

She expressed displeasure over the report of UNICEF that one in every five children in Nigeria was excluded from education.

“The COVID-19 pandemic also exacerbated the disparities in education, causing more than 1.6 billion children and youth out-of-school in 161 countries.

“As aptly put by the World Bank, we are experiencing a global learning crisis,” she said.

She stressed that the consequences of poor education had a ripple effect on youths’ employability, hence quality education must be taken seriously by stakeholders.

She commended the alumni association for its role in improving the school and general education standards.

“I spoke about the challenges of education we see today in terms of poor funding, the fact that we still have a gender gap in terms of access to education.

“It’s not just about educational access, it’s also about ensuring that children go to school and are proficient in the skills they need to survive and compete in the 21st century global digital knowledge economy,” she said.

Ms Ahmad also called for the need to invest more in teachers, give them the tools to deliver quality education and provide adequate remuneration.

She, therefore, advocated for more physical infrastructure for schools, policy reforms, improving access to school feeding, and public-private partnerships to advance the course of education in the country.

She also emphasised the need for a global technological curriculum to drive knowledge and skills for educational empowerment.

Speaking on the disparities in education between the north and the south, Ms Ahmad said a lot of advocacy had been made to bridge this education gap.

(NAN)