UNICEF launches radio campaign in NE Nigeria to boost education

Lagos (Nigeria), April 18: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has launched a school radio clubs program in Nigeria to support campaigns for the development of education in three northeast states of the country.
The program was being implemented in three northeast states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, said Elizabeth Onitolo, UNICEF specialist of communication for development, at the official inauguration of the program Friday in the city of Yola, Adamawa state.
An estimated 1 million children are being targeted by the Fund, Onitolo said, noting that the program was designed for behavioral and social change toward realizing the goal of resilience and integrated education program in the region.
"Specifically it is aimed at educating communities including 250,000 youths and children through radio communication," she said. "It is for development support and as enrollment drive campaigns to reach over 1 million children."
Joel Jutum, an education specialist for UNICEF in Adamawa, said presently there are 60 school radio clubs in three pilot local government areas in the state, adding that the radios had already been distributed to benefiting schools being supervised by coordinators.
Jutum said some of the challenges so far recorded included poor radio signal, network problem, and insecurity, and that the safety of pupils could not be guaranteed especially in the evening.
Nigeria's northeast region has been a stronghold of the extremist group Boko Haram. Over the past years, the Nigerian government has launched several military operations to counter the terrorist threat.
Source: Xinhua