By Cross Udo, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima yesterday said the number of out-of-school children in northern Nigeria was frightening and required urgent action to end it.
The Vice President also said that prioritising education, especially of the girl child, will be the panacea to address the menace.
This came as the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) identified practices such as early marriage, early childbearing, poverty, illiteracy, gender-based violence, and other forms of discrimination as factors that have continued to violate girls’ rights to education in the country.
Speaking at the inaugural International Conference on Girl Child Education in Nigeria, organized by the Nigeria Governors Forum and themed “Girl Child Empowerment through quality education,” at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Senator Shettima backed his assertion with data.
Development partners, including the World Bank, UNICEF, British Council, Oando Foundation, UNESCO, FCDO, Newglobe, and Plateform Petroleum, attended the event.
The Vice President, represented at the occasion by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, reiterated the need for concerted efforts towards addressing education issues, particularly in northern Nigeria.
He said, “We cannot allow ourselves to be held hostage by these frightening numbers as the consequences are dire and far-reaching. Now is the time to treat them as an emergency, and the only way forward is to take specific action plans that address each region’s unique needs and barriers.
“States in the northwest and northeast face the highest out-of-school rates in Kebbi, Zamfara, and Bauchi. For example, more than 60% of primary school-age children are not in school, with Kebbi at a staggering 64.8 percent. The secondary school numbers are similarly alarming with Bauchi at 66.75 per cent Kebbi at 63.8 per cent and Jigawa, my state, at 62.6 pe cent.”
Shettima, who declared, “This is a mirror from which we cannot afford to look away because the consequences are dire and far-reaching,” noted that the dignity of the girl child defines every civilization, adding, “Today, we are bound by a duty higher than merely observing the challenges before us.”
He said, “We bear the responsibility of setting the tone for this nation, and there is no greater calling than to prioritize the education of the girl child and others. This is a mirror from which we cannot afford to look away because the consequences are dire and far-reaching.
“The statistics of our out-of-school children in Nigeria are a stark reminder of the urgency of this mission. The latest multiple indicator cluster survey showed that 25.6 percent of children of primary school age are out of school, and this rate rises to 29.6 percent for secondary school-age children. Each child abandoned on the streets is a liability that the nation will one day pay for.
“We must, therefore, remember that the child who remains out of school today will be a threat to their peer in the classroom tomorrow, and we cannot afford to turn away from this reality, and the need for creative and innovative solutions is now more present than ever.
“The issue of girl child education affects every nation, but in our part of the world, girls’ vulnerability is especially pronounced. Her education is more than a moral obligation. It is the stabilizing force of our economic and social order. For every additional year, a girl remains in school, her future earning potential increases, infant mortality rates decrease, and poverty levels in communities fail.
“We see this reflected in the gender parity index, which shows that girls have almost caught up with boys at the primary school level with a ratio of 0.99 and even surpassed boys at the secondary school level with a ratio of 1.08. These gains are, however, at risk unless we intensify our interventions to reach every girl, particularly in areas where barriers remain strongest.
“This is why, at the National Economic Council, we have set out to guarantee the future of a girl child, adopting education as one of our critical thematic areas of intervention, alongside health, nutrition, and employability in a rapidly changing world.
“We have set the ambitious goal of achieving a 0.6 score on the World Bank’s human capital index, and we understand that the road to this objective involves increasing years of schooling, improving the quality of education, and ensuring that no child, especially no girl child, is left vulnerable or out of school.”
However, the vice president stated that education financing remained a critical aspect of President Bola Tinubu’s government strategy, and hence, the country has seen a significant increase in education expenditure.
“For example, in 2022, states spent N1trn on education, representing 12 percent of total expenditures. By 2024, States committed N2.4trn to education, while the Federal Government allocated N2.2trn. This brings the combined total allocation to N4.6trn.
“Although states have 14 per cent of their budgets dedicated to education, we must aim higher. Our campaign to see 15 to 20 percent of the state budget allocated to education is not just a target, but a necessity as it is the surest way to guarantee the future of our children and our nation.”
While calling for partnership with the administration to address the issues, Vice President Shettima said the stakes are high, and the risk posed by each out-of-school child should concern all stakeholders.
He said, “What we need is a concerted, multi-sectoral approach. The Federal Government, states, local governments, civil society, and our partners in the donor community must come together with a singular focus, ensuring that every Nigerian child, regardless of gender or geography, receives quality education.
“We must combine our advocacy and awareness campaigns, as championed by the human capital development program, with practical interventions like increasing budgetary allocation to the education sector.
“Whatever reforms we adopt to build a safe space for educating the girl child must be championed from within our communities. Policymaking involves all of us, and we must engage local leaders, traditional rulers, and religious figures to understand the implications of failing to educate the future of this nation.
“The most powerful tool we can offer the girl child is education. We must enhance educational programs that inform girls and women about their rights and the risks they face if denied the opportunity to make informed choices, especially in health matters.
“We must also work closely with our partners in the donor community, including the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and other multilateral institutions, to make a generational difference while we remain grateful for their interventions. We are still looking forward to deepening this partnership.
Speaking earlier, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Chairman of NGF and Governor of Kwara State, expressed concern over the rising number of out-of-school children, pervasive learning poverty, and teachers’ insufficient capacity to foster empowerment through education.
He lamented that despite efforts to reverse the situation, the empowerment of the girl child is still hindered by inadequate access to quality education.
According to him, quality education remains the cornerstone of national socioeconomic development. Achieving this requires robust education financing, highly qualified teachers, comprehensive instructional materials, vigorous advocacy, and the provision of necessary infrastructure. Initiatives to re-enrol children in schools, improve learning outcomes, and secure adequate funding are essential to ensuring that every child receives a quality education.
“Our goals include enhancing basic numeracy and literacy, increasing primary school enrolment to reduce the number of out-of-school children, and ensuring smooth transitions from primary to secondary education. The states are resolutely committed to addressing these challenges for the betterment of our society.
“There is renewed vigour in advocating for increased education financing by the states. The NGF champions the advocacy for effective and sustained budgetary resource allocation to the education sector at both federal and state levels. In 2022, states allocated N1trn (12 per cent) of their total expenditures to education.
“This increased to N1.6trn in 2023 and N2.4trn in 2024, alongside the federal allocation of N2.2trn.”
Governor Abdulrazak, however, noted that states including Lagos, Enugu, Kaduna, Abia, Ogun, Kano, Oyo, Jigawa, Niger, Akwa Ibom, and Kwara have made substantial contributions, with many meetings or exceeding the international benchmark of allocating at least 15 percent of their budgets to education.
“These efforts underscore the positive trajectory of education financing sub-national governments,” the NGF chairman said.
