The World Bank has stated that Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school (OOS) children in the world despite the expansion in access to education during the last few decades.
This was disclosed by the World bank in a document titled “Nigeria Development Update (June 2022): The Continuing Urgency of Business Unusual.”
This is troubling given that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had on February 14, 2022, embarked on a 4-week total and comprehensive strike to press home their unresolved demands on the federal government.
What the World Bank is saying
- The World Bank stated that more efforts need to be made to ensure Nigeria’s children are back to school. The Bank said. “Although Nigeria has experienced a significant expansion in access to education during the last few decades, it still has the highest number of out-of-school (OOS) children in the world.”
- The bank added “Nigeria’s more than 11 million OOS children between the ages of 6 and 15 represent 1 in 12 OOS children globally. The OOS children phenomenon in Nigeria is multi-causal and will require a combination of interventions. On the demand side, reducing the cost of education by eliminating school fees, providing cash transfers, and shifting socio-cultural norms that prevent school enrollment are critical steps.”
Nigeria will do well, according to the bank, to increase the supply of schools, optimize their location using geo-referenced data, improve the conditions of dilapidated schools, and assure school safety.
This is essential for involving communities and providing core skills to Quranic students. To reach the target beneficiaries in a cost-effective manner, systemic finance and governance improvements are also required.