Nigeria requires 20,000 schools, 907,769 classrooms to ensure functional basic education for all children
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Additional 20,000 schools and 907,769 classrooms are urgently required to accommodate the growing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has disclosed.
UBE covers compulsory primary school and junior secondary class 3 (JSS3), and is free for all Nigerian children.
UBEC Executive Secretary Hamid Boboye disclosed the figures in Abuja when he met with Education Minister Tahir Mamman and Education Minister of State Yusuf Sununu.
He said several challenges, including infrastructural gaps and inadequate manpower, hinder the efforts of UBEC to provide equitable access to quality basic education, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Mamman promised the ministry would prioritise basic education, stressing the importance of developing the foundational education level for a positive impact on other tiers and contribute to national growth.
He urged all states to demonstrate greater commitment to UBE by providing counterpart funding for basic education.
He gave an assurance the federal government is fully committed to ensuring every Nigerian child has access to education.
Sununu added the coming national census is expected to resolve controversy about the actual number of out-of-school children.
He echoed the importance of ensuring Nigerian children receive necessary education to prepare them for the future.
He urged Mamman to engage with Governors in the pursuit of counterpart funding, reiterating an uneducated child poses significant risk to society.
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Backstory
Despite efforts to expand access to education in Nigeria, the World Bank has ranked the country with the highest number of out-of-school (OOS) children globally, per reporting by Nairametrics.
The World Bank’s “Nigeria Development Update (June 2022)” shows Nigeria has more than 11 million OOS children aged 6 to 15 years or 1 in 12 such children worldwide.
The bank reiterated the need for increased efforts to get these children back to school – adopting a multifaceted approach, including reducing the cost of education by eliminating school fees, providing cash transfers, and addressing socio-cultural norms that hinder school enrollment, on the demand side.
On the supply side, it said Nigeria should focus on increasing the number of schools, optimising their locations using geo-referenced data, improving conditions in dilapidated schools, and ensuring school safety.
Ahmad Yumu, Niger Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Commissioner, recently disclosed 11,113 children have been forced to stop attending school because of terrorist activities, leading to the closure of around 400 primary schools in the state.