1. Preamble

Nigeria is facing a significant education crisis. UNICEF reports that 10.2 million children of primary-school age and 8.1 million children of junior-secondary-school age were out of school in 2018. UNICEF also states that one in five of the world’s out-of-school children is in Nigeria. 

However, the crisis goes beyond access to classrooms. Among children who are enrolled in school, learning outcomes remain a major concern. According to UNICEF’s 2026 Public Finance for Basic Education in Nigeria report, 49% of Primary 3 learners, 67% of Primary 5 learners and 86% of Junior Secondary 2 learners did not reach the minimum proficiency level in mathematics in 2022. 

Nigeria’s education financing has also declined relative to total government spending. UNICEF reports that government education expenditure fell from 9.3% of total government spending in 2015 to 3.6% in 2023, compared with the international benchmark of 15–20% of public expenditure for education.

2. Why This Matters

When children remain out of school, Nigeria loses opportunities to develop the human capital needed for long-term economic and social development.

When children attend school without acquiring foundational literacy, numeracy and digital skills, their ability to progress through further education and participate effectively in the modern economy is constrained.

The quality of education is also affected by conditions within schools and institutions, including:

• Inadequate classrooms and overcrowding.
• Insufficient electricity, water and functional sanitation facilities.
  Inadequate learning materials and educational resources.
• Teacher shortages and the need for continuous teacher training and professional development.
  Inadequate teacher welfare and incentives.
• Limited access to digital devices, reliable internet and digital skills.
• Insecurity that can disrupt schooling and force schools to close. UNICEF documented 19 attacks on schools in 2022–2023 that contributed to the closure of 113 schools in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. 
• Disruptions to academic activities in tertiary institutions.
• Weak or inconsistent mechanisms for tracking and supporting children who are out of school.
• Gaps between education funds allocated and their effective implementation

 

3. Call to Action

We call on the Federal Government, National Assembly, state governments and relevant education authorities to:

•  Increase public investment in education.
   Work towards allocating at least 15% of the national budget to education, consistent with the internationally cited 15–20% benchmark, while ensuring that increased allocations translate into measurable improvements in access and learning outcomes.
• Expand and maintain education infrastructure.
   Prioritise the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of classrooms, laboratories, libraries, water facilities, electricity and functional sanitation facilities, ensuring that infrastructure keeps pace with student enrolment and the establishment or expansion of academic programmes.
• Invest in teachers.
   Strengthen teacher recruitment, remuneration, welfare, incentives, training and continuous professional development to attract and retain teachers and improve teaching quality.
• Establish a functional system for identifying and supporting out-of-school children.
   Develop and maintain an accurate, regularly updated registry of out-of-school children to enable government to identify where they are, understand barriers to their education and connect vulnerable children with scholarships, enrollment programmes and other support.
• Improve student financial support.
   Strengthen NELFUND and other student-support mechanisms by ensuring timely and predictable disbursement and establishing a mechanism for periodically reviewing upkeep support in response to significant changes in the cost of living.
• Bridge Nigeria’s digital divide.
   Expand affordable internet connectivity, electricity, digital devices and digital-learning infrastructure in schools and tertiary institutions, while strengthening digital-literacy training for students and teachers.
• Protect schools and ensure continuity of learning. Strengthen security around vulnerable schools and provide mechanisms for continuity of education when insecurity, displacement or other emergencies disrupt physical schooling.
• Strengthen tertiary education.
   Ensure sustainable funding for public universities and address unresolved issues affecting academic staff and the continuity of academic programmes, including the implementation of negotiated agreements and timely payment of legitimate academic entitlements.
• Improve transparency and accountability in education spending.
   Publish accessible and regularly updated information on education allocations, releases, expenditure, procurement, projects and measurable outcomes at federal and state levels. Strengthen independent monitoring, auditing and public reporting of education funds.

This last demand is particularly practical because existing systems already demonstrate that this kind of disclosure is possible. UBEC’s HOPE-GOV programme, for example, publishes state-by-state disbursement information and is designed to strengthen budget planning, execution, transparency and accountability in basic education. 

4. Appeal

Every Nigerian child deserves access to safe, inclusive and quality education and the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills needed to build a productive future.

We call on decision-makers to move beyond commitments on paper and ensure that education funding translates into functioning classrooms, supported teachers, accessible learning resources, digital inclusion, safe schools and measurable learning outcomes.

We also call on citizens, civil society organisations, educators, students and other stakeholders to participate in monitoring and advocating for effective implementation and accountability in the education sector.

Education is not merely an expenditure. It is an investment in Nigeria’s people, productivity and future.