Speaking at the 2022 International Day of Education, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, lamented that over 13.2 million children are out of school in Nigeria. This figure, he noted, ranks Nigeria as the country with the highest number of out of school children in the world.
According to UNICEF, the figure also indicates that one-third of Nigerian children are not in school, and one in five out-of-school children in the world are a Nigerian. It is also estimated that 60% of this population are girls.
The current estimate, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is 20 million, up from the 10.5 million recorded by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 2020.
Though the Universal Basic Education Commission, (UBEC), disputes the figures, arguing that the estimated figure was no longer relevant, since getting the correct data was dependent on the conduct of a nationwide census, there is no gainsaying that the population of out of school children in Nigeria has become alarming.
Out of school children loosely refers to children of school – going age that should be in school but are not or have dropped out of school before completing their primary school education.
It is stating the obvious that with neither formal education nor skills, out of school children not only constitute an immediate social problem to the nation, but presents a bleak future for Nigeria as they will become an impediment to the nation’s socio- economic growth and development.
The nation’s determination to lift 100 million out of poverty in 10 years would hardly be achieved with such a population, as illiterate and unskilled citizens in a technology – driven world would not only pull back the nation’s development effort but will aggravate her current socio –economic and security challenges.
Many factors have led to the continuous rise in the population of out of school children in Nigeria.
A major contributory factor to this problem has been insecurity. The continued insecurity across the land has jeopardized virtually every section of the society, education, inclusive.
For example, UNICEF declares that the protracted security crisis in the North-East has exacerbated the weakness of basic social services delivery, depriving children of their right to education, protection, and many other critical services.
UNICEF also states that children there are among the most conflict-affected and educationally disadvantaged in the world with close to 2million conflict-affected boys, girls and adolescents being without access to basic quality education in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.
To bring to bear on the impact of insecurity in fuelling the problem, UNICEF states that almost half of all schools in the region require rehabilitation, having been burnt or damaged by insurgents.
Unfortunately, such situations in the North East is not an isolated case, as banditry and terrorist activities in the North West and North Central parts of the country have, in no small way, swelled the population of out of school children.
Many schools in these states have equally been burnt, vandalized or shut down. Also, disruption in the socio economic activities in these states have dislocated the economy and finance of these peasant farmers, with the concomitant effect that where the school system have not been disrupted, many school children have had to drop out as some parents could no longer afford the financial burdens of their school children.
The rising number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), mainly due to insecurity, quickly comes to mind as children there can hardly be in school, bearing in mind the nature of such settlements.
Cultural beliefs and practices constitute another factor as many believe that children, especially girls, have no need for western education as it has no eternal value. Many still believe that the educational system have had no positive impact on the citizenry, citing the continued rise in unemployment and dysfunctional value system as examples.
Poor funding of education by all the tiers of government constitutes another factor, as this leads to insufficient schools, classes, teachers and school supplies. This leads to overcrowded classrooms, and dilapidated buildings while proliferation of substandard schools, quack teachers and inadequate teaching aids are rampant.
Due to unfavourable learning environment, many children become disenchanted while parents are discouraged to send their children and wards to school.
To reverse this trend, government must prioritize education and undertake a holistic evaluation of issues affecting child education in Nigeria with a strong commitment to addressing them.
Government’s current 7.9% national education budget can neither cater for the nation’s educational needs nor bridge the widening gap.
Government must therefore increase her education budget and ramp up avenues for financing education as well as seek foreign aid in the education sector, where applicable.
Unfortunately, only 20% of aid for education goes to low – income countries, Nigeria inclusive, according to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).
The Federal government launch of the Accelerated Basic Education Programme, (ABEP) in June 2022, to ensure that out-of-school children return to school is commendable.
Under the auspices of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) with funding support from the European Union and Plan International Nigeria, the ABEP is an abridged programme for school-age children who had dropped out of school or had never been to school before. Then Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu said the programme became necessary to reduce the number of out-of-school children to the barest minimum.
Beyond this, Government must engage in sustained advocacy, in conjunction with cultural and faith – based organizations, to dismantle cultural beliefs and practices militating against school enrollment for citizens’ buy-in and support.
Benefits of girl – child education must also be drummed up since it has been established that educating girls grow economies, reduce conflict and improve public health.
With such a critical mass of out of school children, halting Nigeria’s current socio – economic challenges will continue to be a herculean task. Yet, this challenge must be overcome if the nation is to witness a quantum leap in her socio – economic development.
Finally, the Tinubu Administration, within the context of the Renewed Hope, must intensify her effort towards exterminating insurgency, banditry and all forms of hitches engendering out of school children in Nigeria.
Only through a holistic approach, based on a determined and sustained effort by all stakeholders, can the present administration halt the trend and, ultimately, reverse this disastrous national time – bomb.
- Tijjani Mohammad wrote from Office of the Special Adviser to the President, (Media and Publicity), Abuja