Northern Nigeria’s Out-Of-School Children Number ‘Disheartening,’ Says Minister… 

The Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, has lamented the growing number of out-of-school children (OOSC) in Northern Nigeria, deeming it both “unacceptable” and “disheartening.”

Speaking on Monday at the Bauchi State 2023 Education Summit at Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar Hajj Camp in Bauchi, Sununu stated that there is a need for the urgency of concerted efforts to address and reverse this troubling trend.

“The rising figure of out-of-school children in Nigeria and most particularly in the northern part of Nigeria is not only unacceptable but disheartening.

“There must be concerted efforts to address and reverse the trend of this time-bomb phenomenon. At the federal level, the newly established National Commission for Almajiri and  Out-of-School Children is set to commence activities,” he said.

“The Commission will address issues and develop mechanisms for the integration of Tsanga/Madarasa schools to be integrated into basic education.”

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 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% of the global total.

Acknowledging the sector’s enormous challenges, Sununu stressed the need for collective efforts by all stakeholders to combat the issues, including the out-of-school children syndrome, poor teacher quality, inadequate learning environments, gender inequality, and discrimination.

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.