UNICEF Introduces New Curriculum to Enhance Child Rights Reporting in Nigeria

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched the Child Rights Reporting Curriculum to enhance the coverage of child rights issues in Nigeria. This initiative aims to incorporate child rights education into journalism training, preparing future journalists to report effectively on matters concerning children.

At a recent outreach event held at the University of Port Harcourt, UNICEF Communication Officer Dr. Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe stressed the importance of a systematic and sustainable approach to child rights reporting. “The objective of the meeting was to enhance journalism education to include child rights reporting, train lecturers to teach child rights reporting and increase the number of students trained to effectively report child rights,” she explained.

Dr. Onuoha-Ogwe highlighted the significance of the curriculum’s launch, especially following the restructuring of the Mass Communication department by the National Universities Commission in recent years. She pointed out the urgency of this initiative, given the rising concerns about child rights violations in Nigeria, such as street hawking, abandonment, and harmful cultural practices.

“The Child Rights Reporting Curriculum is borne out of the need to promote the reportage for child rights everywhere in Nigeria,” she stated. “We want to see more universities mainstreaming child’s rights curriculum in Nigeria following the unbundling of the mass communication department by NUC a few years ago.”

She added that the initiative would ensure more lecturers are skilled in teaching child rights reporting, thereby training a greater number of journalism students on this critical issue.

The University of Port Harcourt has committed to spearheading efforts to raise awareness about child rights across Nigeria through its Faculty of Communication and Media Studies. Prof. Innocent Ebere-Uwa, who represented the Dean of Communication and Media Studies, Prof. Walter Ihejirika, highlighted the pressing need to educate the public about child rights.

Prof. Ihejirika described the initiative as “historic” and a vital advancement in promoting child rights in Nigeria. He remarked, “Defending the lives of children is the pride every adult citizen of the world ought to embrace.” He further underscored the curriculum’s goal to equip students with the necessary skills to report on child-related issues effectively.

The university plans to incorporate child rights into its media courses, utilizing various methods to promote awareness. Initiatives include seminars aimed at educating the public, especially those who employ nannies, and film productions that address child rights topics.

The event drew together media officers and educators from institutions across Rivers and Bayelsa states, emphasizing a collaborative approach to advancing child rights reporting in Nigeria.