By Maria Famakinwa

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The United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has said that 10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria, which is the highest rate in the world. UNICEF further revealed that one in three children in Nigeria is out of school, totalling 10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the Junior Secondary School (JSS) level. The UN education body also indicated that 12.4 million children have never attended school, and 5.9 million left school prematurely, contributing to Nigeria’s out-of-school population, which accounts for 15 percent of the global total.

Despite the federal government’s commitment to provide free and compulsory basic education to the children of Nigeria, as being enshrined in the Universal Basic Education Act of 2004, it is disturbing that the country could record such a high figure of out-of-school children. Education remains a productive tool in shaping the life of humans by broadening his intellect. Education plays a pivotal role in the life of individuals by equipping them with sophisticated intellectual potential that yields to nation building. As a matter of fact, no nation can develop above the level of its education, hence the need for the authority concerned to approach the disturbing development holistically.

Speaking on how to reduce the number of out-of-school children,  an educationist, Reverend Victor Basola, stated that Nigeria could reduce the 10.5 million out-of-school children by 90 per cent if managers of the economy would adopt a free education model in the country.

Basola, who addressed a global press conference on free education recently expressed optimism that Nigeria has the capacity to adopt a free education model, but lacked the political will to make it a reality.

Expressing concerns over the 2024 budgetary allocation to the nation’s educational sector, which is less than the UNESCO’s 20 per cent standard, Basola said that the federal government and corporate organisations must come to the aid of the sector by increasing the financial commitments to the sector.

He said: “If education is the key and passport to the future, we must increase the budgetary allocation to the sector by over 15 per cent, but what we see in the country is corporate organisations sponsoring talk shows that displays nudity with over N20 million, but gives the best graduating student of a school N100,000. To me, this is hypocritical. About 10.5 million children in Nigeria of five to 14 years do not go to school due to poverty. When free education was introduced in Nigeria by Obafemi Awolowo in Western Nigeria in the year 1955, it provided opportunities for all individuals regardless of their socioeconomic class.

“When the Universal Primary Education Scheme was introduced to the western region in 1955, pupil enrolment in the primary schools soared from fee paying 446, 600 in 1954 to non-fee 811, 432 in 1955; an increase of over 90 per cent in one year. By 1961 primary school enrolment in the West had risen to 1,134,788 pupils, a significant turnaround in the figure of children in school. Government at all levels should do what they can to make education attractive and affordable,” he said.

A teacher, Mrs Janet Owolabi, explained that the challenges in the education sector are enormous, but maintained that if the government is ready to address the challenges, it is not insurmountable.

 She said: “Collective efforts by all stakeholders will defeat the challenges of out-of-school children syndrome; poor teacher quality, unconducive teaching, and learning environment; gender inequality and discrimination; poor data generation, utilization and management issues, inadequate infrastructure in our schools are some of the reasons for out-of-school children. If government can tackle this, it will help to remove Nigeria from the list of world learning poverty countries.

“Research on improving systems of education (RISE) revealed that despite compulsory free basic education, around 10.5 million children aged 5 to 14 years are out of school in Nigeria which is not encouraging at all. Though, the Federal and State governments have been putting in different measures like school feeding programme to encourage pupils but it is not enough. While the National Home-Grown School Feeding programme is commendable, schools need more than feeding pupils. By the way, its implementation is even limited in spread in the 31 states the Federal Government says it operates.

“School feeding has evidently increased enrolment, provided nutrition for children and kept them in school but we need to go beyond that. Beyond feeding the children, what are they learning?  Do they have books? Are their teachers motivated? Do they have adequate facilities? We have situations in some parts of Nigeria where girls don’t go to school because the school does not have a toilet. UNESCO says that for at least five days in a month, 20 percent of girls don’t go to school because they cannot afford menstrual pad. In some communities, schools are far from where children reside. What is government doing about these? Is government providing accommodation or transportation? Is it providing facilities that would make the environment conducive for learning? Are teachers getting their payments as and when due? All these points must be addressed to reduce the number of out-of-school children across the country, ” she noted.

A school proprietor, Mr Abiola Olawande, who lamented the increasing number of out-of-school children in the country explained that Nigeria, with its rich cultural diversity and abundant resources is still confronted with the alarming number of over 20 million out-of-school children. He added that the crisis if not tackled would threatened not only the future of these children but also the economic and social stability of the nation.

He said: “To address this pressing issue, Nigeria must adopt a multi-pronged approach that tackles both the root causes and immediate challenges of this crisis by Identifying the root causes like poverty, cultural beliefs, insecurity, community engagement among others.

“On poverty, a significant number of families cannot afford the costs associated with sending their children to school, including uniforms, textbooks, and transportation.  Aside this, some communities prioritize early marriage over education for girls, perpetuating a cycle of illiteracy. Conflict and insecurity in the Northern part of the country make it dangerous for children to attend school and that is where we have the highest number of out-of-school children. Government should improve security in the North to encourage parents to send their wards to schools. Another way to solve the problem of out-of-school children is engaging communities in conversations about the importance of education which can help change cultural beliefs that hinder enrollment, particularly for girls. Infrastructure improvement including building new schools, providing necessary resources and employing qualified teachers is crucial to solving the problem.

“We cannot afford to play down this important factor if we are still hopeful of a better future for our country and children. Education remain the key to sustainable development and essential for unlocking a better future we hope to have. It’s the foundation on which our children can build their lives and contribute to the development of their state and society. Therefore, there is a need to strengthen the education system in order to produce patriotic citizens with broad knowledge, good character and competitive skills on the global stage. So, both Federal and State governments must increase budgetary allocation to education and constantly remind the public on the need to educate their wards for better future. However, insecurity must be addressed to reduce the number of out-of-school children, ” he said.