UNICEF has called for increased budgetary allocation for Early Childhood Care, Development and Education for children in the North-West.

UNICEF chief field officer in Kano, Rahama Farah, made the call at a two-day workshop on Evidence Advocacy and Policy Dialogue for Increased Funding to the ECCDE Sub-sector in Kanoand, Katsina and Jigawa on Wednesday in Kano.

Mr Farah explained that early childhood care, education, and development are crucial because they leverage a time of significant brain development in children.

According to him, quality ECCED could set the foundation for good health, nutrition, learning success, social-emotional development, and economic productivity throughout life.

“In spite of these benefits, ECCED often receives low priority in education policies and funding. Increased budgetary allocation will significantly impact developmental outcomes for children,” he said.

Mr Farah added that failure to provide quality early childhood education limits children’s futures by denying them opportunities to reach their full potential.

The UNICEF officer said early education provides the highest return on investment of all education sub-sectors. He lamented that it receives the smallest share of government expenditure compared to primary and secondary education.

Mr Farah urged governments at all levels in the North-West to increase funding for Early Childhood Care, Development and Education.

Earlier, the UNICEF education specialist, Abuja Yetunde Oluwatosin, said the percentage of children needing good early childhood care and education was alarming.

She said that early childhood was a critical period that any country must pay attention to.

”Doing so would improve the economic outcome of the child. The period must be consciously built to contribute to the child’s early transformation,” she said.

Yetunde then called for increased funding for the early childhood education sector in the North-West so that children in the areas could reach their full potential.

(NAN)