Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Nigeria’s government has sounded the alarm on a deepening crisis in the country’s education sector, revealing that an estimated $345 million is needed every year to effectively reintegrate approximately 15 million children who are currently out of school and equip them with essential learning and life skills. The disclosure was made during a high-level convening organised by the Federal Ministry of Education in Lagos, underscoring the urgency of the situation and the scale of resources required to address it.
Dr Tunji Alausa, Nigeria’s Minister of Education, outlined the funding estimate at the inaugural Federal Ministry of Education Private Sector Breakfast Convening, where government officials, education stakeholders, and representatives from the private sector gathered to discuss strategies and partnerships to tackle one of the most pressing development challenges facing the country.
According to Alausa, the $345 million figure is derived from current per-capita spending needs to bring children who are outside the formal school system back into structured education and skill-building programmes. The investment would support not just basic schooling but also technical and vocational training, which the government views as key to preparing young Nigerians for employment in a rapidly evolving global economy.
The magnitude of Nigeria’s out-of-school population reflects broader structural challenges. Recent educational data shows that tens of millions of Nigerian children are not participating in formal education across different levels, with estimates pointing to more than 10 million primary school-age children and over 8 million secondary-school-age children out of school. When combined, this makes Nigeria one of the countries with the largest populations of out-of-school children in the world. Many of these children live in rural and economically disadvantaged areas, where poverty, insecurity, and systemic gaps in education infrastructure keep them from entering or staying in school.
Alausa highlighted stark regional disparities: while about 25 percent of children aged 5–14 are out of school nationwide, this figure climbs to roughly 41 percent in the North-East and North-West regions, areas long plagued by insecurity, economic hardship, and insufficient schools. These northern regions consistently report the highest rates of education exclusion, driven by longstanding conflict, attacks on schools, economic deprivation, and traditional practices that do not align with formal schooling.
Experts note that being out of school has far-reaching consequences beyond education. Children who are excluded from schooling are more vulnerable to child labour, early marriage, exploitation, and recruitment into extremist or criminal activity. They are also less likely to develop the foundations needed for future productivity or participation in the labour market.
The federal government has acknowledged the crisis and has taken steps aimed at expanding access, improving quality, and integrating vulnerable children into formal learning pathways. One such intervention is the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, a flagship component of the broader “Renewed Hope” agenda of the administration, which aims to build a $1 trillion economy by 2030 through strategic investments in key sectors including education.
Under the initiative, the government has channelled funding into Technical and Vocational Education and Training centres, disbursing significant resources nationwide and providing direct support to trainees. More than 1.3 million applications were received for the programme, with a subset of applicants matched to training opportunities based on verifiable biometric data.
In addition to financing skills training, the Ministry of Education is pursuing structural reforms to improve student tracking and increase retention. Recent policy proposals include the abolition of the Junior Secondary School Common Entrance Examination, to be replaced with a learner identification system that follows students throughout their educational journey—from primary through secondary levels. This measure aims to reduce dropout rates caused by transition barriers and improve planning data for policymakers.
Another important initiative is the work of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, established by the federal government to modernise traditional learning systems—particularly for children in northern regions who may be part of the Almajiri system, a centuries-old Islamic educational tradition. The commission seeks to integrate traditional and formal education by offering literacy, numeracy, and life skills alongside religious instruction.
Despite these efforts, chronic underinvestment in education continues to hamper progress. Nigeria has historically allocated far less than the recommended international benchmark of 15–20 percent of its national budget to education. A combination of limited funding, high dependence on recurrent salary expenditures, insufficient teaching materials and infrastructure, and insecurity has constrained the ministry’s ability to expand quality education.
The result is an education system where many schools lack basic facilities, teachers are in short supply—especially in rural areas—and millions of children remain on the margins of formal learning. These constraints underscore why the government has called for collaboration with private sector stakeholders, development partners, and community organisations to close the funding and capacity gaps.
Education advocates warn that failing to address the out-of-school crisis will have serious long-term economic and social repercussions. Without foundational education, children are less likely to acquire the skills needed for employment and civic participation, potentially contributing to cycles of poverty, unemployment, and social instability. Furthermore, countries that fail to educate large segments of their youth risk significant losses in national productivity and economic growth over time.
Given these realities, Nigeria’s education crisis is not merely a policy issue but a development imperative. As discussions continue within government and among stakeholders, the $345 million annual investment figure stands as both a stark reminder of the challenge ahead and a touchstone for coordinated action to ensure the country’s future generations are afforded the education they need and deserve.
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