The government of Nigeria has again pledged to get 15 million out-of-school children back into classrooms by 2027, but how does it plan to work with state governments to achieve this?
Development Diaries reports that about 20 million children in Nigeria are out of school.
Former Minister of Education Adamu Adamu failed to address this menace despite various policies laid down. Now, the current minister, Tahir Mamman, must be held accountable.
‘On out-of-school menace, we would be paying particular attention to this unacceptable phenomenon and, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment, would work towards returning 15 million out-of-school children back to the classrooms by the year 2027’.
While it has been acknowledged by the minister that robust policies in place are not enough to tackle challenges confronting the country’s basic education, the minister might want to give details on how his ministry intends to work with state governments to actualise this promise.
Several factors contribute to the high number of out-of-school children in Africa’s most populous country. One significant challenge is economic inequality, as a large portion of the population lives in poverty, making it difficult for families to afford necessities, including education-related expenses such as uniforms, textbooks, and school fees.
While it is recognised that education is on the concurrent list under the country’s constitution, the Nigerian government can effectively intervene in basic education if the country modifies the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act, which permits only nine years of free education.
The UBE only covers primary education to junior secondary school three (JSS3). Therefore, children who wish to continue their education up to senior secondary level have to pay school fees, which, unfortunately, many Nigerian families cannot afford.
State governments in the country have the lion’s share of education responsibility; unfortunately, many states are not meeting the matching financial requirements for universal basic education, according to data from UBEC.
The Nigerian government may want to step in by reviewing the conditions for accessing grants, according to the UBE Act.
Furthermore, creating a measuring mechanism that would be used to account for the percentage contribution from the state governments could also help in ensuring that state governments meet their basic education financial obligations.
Development Diaries implores the Minister of Education, Mamman, to disclose the measures that his ministry intends to put in place to achieve this goal in collaboration with state governments.
Photo source: USAID in Africa
