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…Warns of deep learning crisis in schools
Daud Olatunji
Nigeria’s education system is grappling with a deepening crisis of learning and access, as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that only one in four students in the country can read correctly and perform basic calculations by age 14.
UNICEF has also expressed concern that more than 20 million Nigerian children are currently out of school, describing the situation as one of the worst educational exclusion crises globally, with Nigeria accounting for around 15% of the world’s out-of-school population.
The concerns were raised on Wednesday during a two-day media dialogue on digital learning, artificial intelligence (AI) and skill development for out-of-school children, organized by the Osun State Ministry of Education in collaboration with UNICEF and held in Ede.
Speaking at the event, UNICEF Lagos Field Office Head, Celine Lafoucriere, said the crisis is not just about school enrolments, but also about poor learning outcomes among children already in class.
“One in four. Of all the children in Nigeria who actually go to school, only one in four can read correctly and do basic arithmetic by the age of 14,” he said.
He warned that around 10 million more children are completely out of school, stressing that the implications go beyond education, but are about long-term economic survival and national development.
“These are not just numbers reported. These are children growing up without the skills they need to survive, work, support families or contribute to the economy,” he said.
Lafoucriere warned that the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and digital technologies could further widen inequality if urgent measures are not taken to improve learning outcomes and access to digital skills.
“Children who know how to use artificial intelligence will have a chance. Those who don’t will be left behind,” she said, adding that girls are disproportionately affected due to poverty, cultural barriers and exclusion.
He called for greater media engagement to sustain public attention on the crisis and push politicians towards urgent reforms in the education sector.
Furthermore, Dr Harold Kpojime, UNICEF education expert, said Nigeria currently has around 20 million children out of school, due to insecurity, poverty, rapid population growth and weak education systems.
He explained that 10.2 million affected children attend primary school, while 8.1 million attend lower secondary school, adding that 12.4 million children never went to school, while around 5.9 million dropped out of school early.
“Only one in three children of school age has access to early childhood education. More than half of girls with a basic level of education do not attend school,” he said.
Kpojime warned that Nigeria’s education challenge now extends beyond access to issues of retention and completion, stressing that only about half of children complete secondary education.
It also identified early marriage, insecurity, poverty and inadequate learning environments as key drivers of dropout rates across the country.
In his remarks, the Osun State Commissioner for Education, represented by Permanent Secretary Murtala Jimoh, said the state government was embracing digital technology and artificial intelligence to expand access to learning and reduce exclusion.
He said insecurity, poverty and migration – particularly from the northern parts of the country – remain major factors contributing to the school dropout crisis.
“Many of the out-of-school children we encounter come from migrant families who have moved due to insecurity,” she said.
Jimoh said Osun State, in collaboration with UNICEF and development partners, is implementing initiatives such as back-to-school programmes, the Nigeria Learning Passport and Passport-to-Earning programs to reintegrate vulnerable children and equip them with digital and entrepreneurial skills.
He added that digital learning platforms and AI-based tools are already reshaping educational offerings by making learning more accessible, flexible and inclusive.
“Digital learning platforms are transforming educational provision, making it more accessible and inclusive,” he said.
Also speaking, UNICEF Communications Officer, Blessings Ejiofor, said the dialogue aimed to strengthen media advocacy on education and improve public understanding of the learning crisis in Nigeria.
Stakeholders present at the event included representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, UBEC, National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education, SUBEB, LGEA, World Bank, Education Cannot Wait, Global Partnership for Education, Microsoft, Airtel, IHS Towers, TECNO and SONY.
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