Governors across Nigeria have expressed serious concern over the deteriorating state of the country’s education system, warning that without urgent action, the crisis will worsen.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, issued this warning on Thursday at a State-Level Workshop on Foundational Learning and Out-of-School Children held in Abuja. Represented by the NGF’s Education Advisor, Leo The Great, AbdulRazaq stressed that Nigeria stands at a critical juncture in its educational development, requiring immediate attention to foundational challenges.
“Nigeria is facing a crisis. While many children are enrolled in school, this does not guarantee they are actually learning,” he noted.
He highlighted disturbing national statistics showing that 66% of primary school-age children are out of school, citing poor learning outcomes, high dropout rates, and weak transitions between educational levels as key factors.
“Foundational skills are not only the ultimate goal but essential building blocks for other educational achievements such as retention and progression,” AbdulRazaq added.
He further pointed to systemic issues in the education sector, including an inadequate and undervalued teaching workforce, chronic underfunding of basic education, and gaps in national governance.
Among the challenges he identified were: lack of clear understanding of conditional training issues, insufficient learning materials, limited access to independent training and digital literacy, weak local capacity for monitoring and evaluation, low community awareness and support, and insufficient commitment from both state and non-state actors.
AbdulRazaq expressed hope that the workshop would inspire stronger commitment from policymakers at both federal and state levels.
“The Nigerian Governors Forum anticipates this workshop will motivate policymakers to advance and sustain evidence-based reforms aimed at improving foundational learning and addressing the out-of-school children crisis nationwide,” he said.
Also at the event, Aisha Garba, Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), represented by Deputy Secretary (Technical) Rasaq Akinyemi, acknowledged that Nigeria’s education system still faces entrenched problems despite numerous efforts.
She emphasized the need to build on past progress and ensure inclusive education for all children, regardless of their location or background.
“Despite political and systemic barriers, Nigeria continues to wrestle with deep-rooted educational challenges,” Garba stated.
Earlier this year, Education Minister Olatunji Alausa, while defending the 2025 education budget before the National Assembly, revealed that the federal government is collaborating closely with state governors to tackle the alarming number of out-of-school children.
“The scale of out-of-school children is both staggering and deeply troubling,” Alausa remarked.
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