The over decade-long crises in North East Nigeria had rendered about 4.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. The education sector PIN is 1.5 million people in need. The crisis, which is fundamentally a protection of civilians’ crisis, has largely been triggered by an ongoing regionalized armed conflict, characterized by massive and widespread abuse against civilians including killings, rape and other sexual violence, abduction, child recruitment, burning of homes, pillaging, forced displacement, arbitrary detention, and the use of explosive hazards, including in deliberate attacks on civilian targets.
The impact of the crisis on the education system has also been severe, leaving generations of children without opportunities to learn and even more vulnerable. Since the conflict erupted in 2009, 2,295 teachers have been killed leading about 55 percent shortage of teachers in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, 1400 schools damaged or destroyed and more than 802 schools forced to close. As a result, an estimated 630,000 children (327,600 girls) have lost access to learning while 42 percent of children in camps do not attend school. 60 percent of girls of primary school age are out of school in Borno State - the highest percentage in the country(1) .Of those who do attend, 72 per cent are unable to read upon completion of primary six, while Borno State has the lowest literacy rates at only 35 percent of female and 46 per cent of male adolescents. The Nigeria Education in Emergencies Working Group (EiEWG) has over the years worked tirelessly to ensure school age conflict affected children have continued equal access to quality basic education through the provision of Education in Emergencies across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. The previous EIEWG multi years strategic plan from 2021-2023 remain useful document for resources mobilization and provided guidance to the ECW MYRP-I. However, due to the prolonged crises, the government’s relocation of internally displacstrategic planed populations, and the increasing need for long-term solutions for beneficiaries, the EiEWG decided to develop a three-year for 2024-2026. This plan aims to ensure the continued delivery of robust EIE programming, the integration of learners into formal education, the strengthening of educators' and school leaders' capacities, and the enhancement of local leadership to fully take ownership of EIE delivery, clearly linked with long-term solutions.
(1) UNICEF In northern Nigeria, attacks on schools threaten children’s right to education.