The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged families, schools, and other stakeholders to support teenage girls who dropped out of school due to pregnancy issues to complete their studies.

Azuka Mentiki, UNICEF education specialist, made the call at a two-day stakeholders meeting in Ibadan. The meeting was held from August 12 to  14.

The meeting was organised to address the ”Out-Of-School Children (OOSC) and model for Retention, Transition, and Completion (RTC)” in the South-West zone of Nigeria.

Commissioners, chairmen of the States Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Civil Society, and religious leaders from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Osun, and Ondo states attended the event.

According to Ms Mentiki, 92 per cent of adolescents in the South-West complete their primary school studies, while only 85 per cent complete their secondary school studies.

She also declared UNICEF’s support to tackle such issues.

Ms Mentiki said the initiative was to create awareness and support the states in making plans and policies whereby the girls would be encouraged to pursue their future in spite of these challenges.

The UNICEF education specialist reiterated the body’s commitment to ensuring every child gets free access to quality education in Nigeria and said stakeholders’ collaboration was key to achieving the common goal.

According to her, UNICEF is supporting states to identify and address the factors driving dropout rates among adolescents, especially those who mistakenly get pregnant in the zone and other parts of Nigeria.

She noted, “This does not mean that such support is to promote or encourage teenage pregnancy, but a measure to show that getting pregnant while in school is not the end of their career; they still have a future.

“UNICEF education is focused on three core areas to ensure RTC, especially for teenagers who face the risk of dropping out or not completing their education due to pregnancy while at the secondary school level.

“We are using the system to strengthen, expand access to education, and support states in creating quality learning opportunities through community structures in collaboration with religious leaders.”

(NAN)