Poverty, insecurity driving 14.8m kids out of school, says FG

The federal government has identified poverty, insecurity and cultural barriers as some of the factors responsible for the over 14.8 million of out-of-school children in the country, urging strong partnerships by stakeholders, including development partners, to address the menace.

Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, who disclosed this while declaring open the International Conference on Smart Education and Digital Literacy (ICSE 2025), highlighted the various efforts of the President Bola Tinubu’s administration to address the out-of-school syndrome.

He said: “Despite our progress, we recognise the persistent challenge of out-of-school children, with numbers exceeding 14.8 million. Factors such as poverty, insecurity, and cultural barriers compound this issue.

“We will continue to rely on strong partnerships with UBEC, our state counterparts, development partners, and the private sector,” he stated.

Alausa noted that under Hope for Quality Basic Education for All (HOPE-EDU) initiative, the government has secured support from the World Bank and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) worth $552.18 million to enhance foundational learning for over 29 million children, and train more than 500,000 teachers using a performance-based financing model.

He described the theme of the conference: “Empowering African smart education through emerging technologies,” as apt, saying it aligns with the strategic priorities of Nigeria’s education sector.

On her part, UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, said the mandate of the commission is to ensure equitable, inclusive, and quality basic education for every Nigerian child.

She maintained that in a world increasingly defined by technology, fulfilling this mandate demands that the country rethinks education delivery, reimagine learning environments, and embrace innovation to bridge learning gaps and unlock the potential of every child.

Garba noted that across the world, countries are repositioning basic education as a platform for national renewal.

“In Finland, school autonomy and teacher empowerment are central to system-wide excellence, data is used not to punish schools, but to support and improve them. Rwanda is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and integrating community ownership into rural learning delivery; Kenya has mainstreamed digital literacy through nationwide device deployment and teacher training.”

She restated the government’s commitment to leverage technology in transforming basic education, saying we have moved beyond simply introducing technology into our schools, but building a systematic, sustainable model for integrating digital innovation into teaching and learning.”

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}