More than one million Nigerian children who were previously out of school have returned to the classroom in the last 20 months, the Federal Government has announced, describing the development as a major achievement in its education reform efforts.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the newly appointed United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Country Representative to Nigeria, Professor Isaiah Barreto Da Rosa, who paid him a courtesy visit.
Alausa said the government was focused on consolidating the progress recorded in expanding access to education while addressing persistent challenges affecting the quality, inclusiveness and effectiveness of the country’s education system.
The minister also disclosed that almost 6.7 million girls had benefited from interventions aimed at improving school enrolment and retention.
However, he cautioned that the success recorded in girl-child education must be accompanied by greater attention to the educational needs of boys.
According to him, ensuring balanced human capital development requires an education system that caters for every Nigerian child, regardless of gender.
“We must ensure that no child is left behind. While we continue to make progress in girl-child education, we must also pay attention to the educational needs of boys,” Alausa said.
Six priorities for education reform
The minister identified six major areas around which the administration’s education transformation agenda is being implemented.
They include Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET); Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); the reintegration of out-of-school children; data and digitalisation; girl-child education; and quality assurance.
Alausa said the Federal Government was making significant investments in skills development, technology and teacher capacity as part of efforts to prepare young Nigerians for the demands of a changing economy.
He also stressed the growing importance of reliable education data in identifying gaps, directing interventions and measuring the impact of government programmes.
The minister said the government was particularly interested in strengthening teacher development and welcomed UNESCO’s technical assistance in the area.
He highlighted the ministry’s accelerated teacher professional development programme, which targets one million serving teachers.
UNESCO pledges deeper support
The UNESCO Country Representative, Da Rosa, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education transformation programme.
He described UNESCO as a technical partner ready to provide expertise in areas prioritised by the Nigerian government.
Da Rosa recalled UNESCO’s longstanding presence in Nigeria dating back to the 1960s, noting that the organisation had supported initiatives covering TVET, teacher development, peace education, science, culture, communication and information.
He commended the ministry’s efforts to digitise education data and expressed UNESCO’s readiness to expand its cooperation with Nigeria in TVET, teacher development and the reintegration of children who are currently out of school.
According to him, UNESCO-supported programmes have trained more than 28,000 teachers across different states and reached over 1.7 million students.
He added that the organisation’s specialised institutes were available to provide further technical support as Nigeria implements its education reforms.
FG seeks stronger international partnerships
Alausa also acknowledged UNESCO’s contributions to TVET assessment, digital transformation, peace education and media and information literacy.
He urged the organisation to align its interventions with programmes already established by the Nigerian government in order to avoid duplication and maximise the impact of available resources.
The minister said stronger collaboration between Nigeria and UNESCO would be essential to translating education policies into measurable improvements in learning outcomes.
He assured the organisation that the Federal Ministry of Education would continue working closely with international partners while mobilising domestic resources to advance the country's education agenda under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Alausa said the government remained committed to expanding access to education, improving quality and equipping Nigerian children and young people with the knowledge and skills needed to contribute meaningfully to national development.
The latest figures on children returning to school come amid continued concern over Nigeria’s large out-of-school population, making the sustainability of enrolment gains, the quality of learning and the retention of children in school critical tests for the country’s education reform programme.