The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary), Senator Lawal Adamu Usman, has disclosed that Nigeria currently has about 7.6 million out-of-school children, a situation he described as alarming.
Speaking at the National Conference on Girl-Child Education and Empowerment in Abuja, the senator called on religious and traditional leaders to take the lead in advocating for girl-child education within their communities. The conference, themed “Effective Partnerships on Girls Education, Out-of-School Children Education for National Development,” brought together key stakeholders to discuss ways to address the growing crisis in the country’s education sector.
Usman, who represents Kaduna Central Senatorial District, also urged the World Bank to extend its Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project to cover all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to ensure that girls across Nigeria have access to quality education.
He lamented that without the intervention of religious and traditional leaders, many young girls in Nigeria would continue to miss out on education due to poverty, early marriage, and gender discrimination.
According to the senator, the statistics on out-of-school children in Nigeria are concerning. He revealed that 3.9 million of the 7.6 million out-of-school children are girls at the primary level, while 3.7 million are at the junior secondary level. More than half of Nigerian girls are not enrolled in basic education, with about one million dropping out before completing primary school and 600,000 failing to transition from Primary 6 to Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1).
He further stated that girls account for 38% of Nigeria’s total out-of-school children, with their education being hindered by child marriage, financial hardship, and cultural barriers that prevent them from completing school.
To address these challenges, Usman highlighted the Senate’s ongoing legislative efforts to reform Nigeria’s education system. He noted that the Basic Education (Amendment) Bill, currently at its third reading in the Senate, is expected to bring significant improvements to the sector. Additionally, he is sponsoring a Bill for an Act to amend the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act, Cap N4 LFN 2024, which has passed its second reading. Once enacted, these laws are expected to revitalize basic education in Nigeria, particularly for girls.
The conference was hosted by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who delivered the keynote address. It was attended by prominent figures, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Emir of Argungu, Samaila Muhammad Mera, and Oba Tajudeen Jimoh from Ekiti State, alongside religious leaders and education stakeholders from across the country.
The event aimed to strengthen partnerships that would combat Nigeria’s out-of-school crisis and promote gender-inclusive education for national development.
