The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed January 24 as International Day of Education. Tomorrow again, the world will be marking the day. The Nation Journalism Foundation, as part of its thematic focus, will be addressing the phenomenon of out-of-school children – a disturbing challenge, which is consuming the educational domain and future of the child in the world, especially Nigeria. The foundation’s goal is to expose the educational barriers that prevent millions of children from accessing quality education and showcase its advocacy efforts to create safe and supportive learning environments, as demonstrated by its recent initiatives, Assistant Editor Bola Olajuwon reports
Place of education in development Education is a fundamental human right, a great equaliser and invaluable gift a nation can give to the younger generation. It is a key factor in national development, which contributes to a country’s social, economic and political progress. According to educators, education helps build a sense of national identity, promote civic engagement and create a skilled workforce.
In Nigeria, there is hardly a better gift to give a child. Every child deserves access to quality education, especially children from poor homes, for whom it has become imperative to break cycles of generational poverty and illiteracy.
Despite the laudable place of education, millions of children worldwide remain out-of-school and learning poverty due to a myriad of challenges. Nigeria, in particular, is facing an education crisis of unprecedented proportions, with millions of children left out of school, particularly in the northern regions. This crisis, policymakers claimed, threatens to destabilise the nation’s future, making it a ticking time bomb that demands urgent attention.
Role of UN in education growth
Owing to the role of education for peace and development, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed January 24 as International Day of Education. The body ensured that the right to education is enshrined in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration calls for free and compulsory elementary education. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989, goes further to stipulate that countries shall make higher education accessible to all.
When it adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015, the international community recognised that education is essential for the success of all 17 of its goals. Sustainable Development Goal 4, in particular, aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030.
In 2024, amid escalating conflicts, accelerating climate change, and rising inequalities, UNESCO kept education high on the global agenda through addressing critical education challenges and made the case for increased financing to empower people through learning.
Tomorrow, the world will mark International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilise political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity.
The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. In 2024, amid escalating conflicts, accelerating climate change, and rising inequalities, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) kept education high on the global agenda through addressing critical education challenges and made the case for increased financing to empower people through learning.
Challenges of achieving universal education
Education offers children a ladder out of poverty and a path to a promising future. But about 244 million children and adolescents around the world are out of school; 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math; less than 40 per cent of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school and some four million children and youth refugees are out of school. Their right to education is being violated and it is unacceptable.
The figure of Nigerian children who are out-of-school is increasing yearly. In 2023, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimated that 10.5 million children were out of school in Africa’s most populous country.
The latest report of UNICEF, published last August, indicates that the figure has risen to 18.3 million with many of the cases prevalent in the northern part of the country.
The danger of out-of-school children
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, while hitting the nail on the head late last year, said Nigeria’s out-of-school children may soon transform to bandits, if the government fails to return them to their classrooms. Akpabio said this during the plenary when he commented on a report to tackle the challenges of out-of-school children in the country.
“This issue of out-of-school children is one of the most important and a major source of insecurity in this country. Twenty million children that are out of school is a time bomb for any country or anywhere experiencing banditry.
“If we can solve the problem of out-of-school children in Nigeria, over 20 million children that are out of school, those are potential bandits, major danger,” Akpabio said.
A lecturer at Covenant University, Ogun State, Busayo Aderounmu, said: “The higher the number of out-of-school children in the country, the higher the level of illiteracy, insecurity, and poverty among others,”
Aderounmu said the country is faced with a learning and economic crisis mainly fuelled by the rising numbers of out-of-school children.
Also commenting on issue, UNICEF’s Chief of Bauchi Field Office Tushar Rane said the 18.3 million figure positions Nigeria with the challenge of having the largest number of out-of-school children globally, noting that only 63 per cent of primary school-age children regularly attend school.
He said in May 2024, only 84 per cent of Nigerian children moved to junior secondary schools after completing their primary schools. He ascribed the situation to limited budgets, lack of adequate evidence-based policies, teacher and classroom shortages, poor infrastructure, cultural norms, health and safety concerns, and child labour, among others.
The Nation Journalism Foundation and plan to tackle education’s challenges
To address the critical issues in education sector, The Nation Journalism Foundation recently launched a pilot Advocacy Campaign on Bullying at Oduduwa Secondary School, Ladipo Road, Mushin, within Lagos Education District VI, as part of the global 16 Days of Activism campaign against Gender-Based Violence.
With the theme: United Against Bullying: Creating a Safe and Supportive School Community, this initiative highlights the critical need to address bullying as a major contributor to school dropout rates.
In an interview with this correspondent during the week, Programme Officer, The Nation Journalism Foundation (tNJF), Ademola Oyeledun, said: “This pilot project marks the beginning of a statewide campaign, as we aim to replicate this advocacy effort across Lagos State, promoting a culture of safety, respect, and inclusivity in our schools.
“One of the outcomes of this initiative was the commitment to establish an Anti-Bullying Club at Oduduwa Secondary School. This initiative aims to empower students to act against bullying, promote kindness, empathy, and respect among students, and provide support for students who have experienced bullying.”
Foundation’s move to confront out-of-school challenge
Oyeledun noted that the phenomenon of out-of-school children is a disturbing phenomenon, gradually consuming the educational domain and future of the child. According to him, this educational endemic refers to the children in the official primary school age range, who are not enrolled in either primary or secondary school, many factors such as inadequate-evidence-based policies, teacher and classroom shortages, poor infrastructure, cultural norms, health and safety concerns, conflicts and economic barriers among others, are attributed to the out-of school challenge’s manifestation and escalation.
He added that proactive and decisive actions from all stakeholders to ameliorate the negative trend are greatly paramount and desirable.
He said: “As the world prepares to mark International Day of Education tomorrow, The Nation Journalism Foundation (tNJF) is proud to have launched a special story project investigating the complex issues surrounding out-of-school children in Nigeria.
“Through this project, we have examined the root causes of this crisis, amplified the voices of affected children, and highlighted potential solutions.
“Our goal is to expose the educational barriers that prevent millions of children from accessing quality education and also showcase our advocacy efforts to create safe and supportive learning environments, as demonstrated by our recent initiatives.
“In Nigeria, the statistics are staggering. As of May 2024, the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria was estimated to be 18.3 million. This is a significant number, representing almost 20 percent of the world’s out-of-school children – one of the highest numbers in the world.”
The foundation on the causes of the crisis
This crisis, the foundation’s programme officer said, is perpetuated by a complex interplay of factors, including poverty, which forces many children to work instead of attending school; conflict, which has destroyed schools and displaced communities; cultural and social norms, which often prioritise boys’ education over girls’; and inadequate educational infrastructure, which leaves many schools without qualified teachers, adequate resources, or safe learning environments.
“For girls, the challenges are even more daunting, with child marriage, early pregnancy, and gender-based violence posing significant barriers to education. Among these barriers, bullying has emerged as a significant yet often overlooked factor contributing to school dropouts. Bullying causes emotional, psychological, and physical harm, leading many students to abandon their education in search of safer environments.”
Solutions
Oyeledun said: “To break this cycle, we need multifaceted solutions that address systemic barriers and implement localised interventions. To reverse the trend, beyond funding education by empowering teachers and building infrastructure, mind-sets need to change as much as economic conditions to tackle the twin evils of poor mentality and poverty. It is a known fact that amidst Nigeria’s searing insecurity and surging poverty, education has become a luxury that many cannot afford.
“Our foundation is committed to promoting education as a fundamental human right and creating environments where every child can thrive and we are ready to partner government at the three-tier, ministries of education and youths, corporate organisations and bodies in this direction.
“At The Nation Journalism Foundation, we believe that every child deserves access to quality education, regardless of their background or circumstances. Getting mass of children into school is high priority for countries and crucial for achieving universal primary education. Any child that has access to education has broken the cycle of poverty in his or her family. Whereas the rate of out-of-school children increases, the human capital decreases in Nigeria.
“Through our project, we aim to amplify the voices of out-of-school children, highlight the challenges they face, and advocate for policy changes and interventions that can help address this crisis.
“By supporting investigative journalism on this critical issue, we hope to inspire a national conversation about the importance of education and the need to break down the barriers that prevent children from accessing it.
“We urge our readers to join us in this effort by sharing our stories, advocating for policy changes, and supporting organisations that work to provide education and support services to out-of-school children.
“Together, we can make a difference and create a future where every child in Nigeria has access to quality education and the opportunities they deserve.”