“Where Are They?” FG Raises Alarm Over 20 Million Children Missing From Nigeria’s Classrooms
By Passman Akpos
The Federal Government has announced plans to overhaul Nigeria’s education structure after revealing that more than 20 million children who enroll in primary school never make it to senior secondary school, describing the current system as a major failure.,
Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee in Abuja.
According to the minister, the long-standing separation of Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) has created a serious gap in the education system, leaving millions of children unable to continue their education.
He revealed that while Nigeria has about 80,000 public primary schools, there are only 15,000 junior secondary schools, creating a massive bottleneck that has forced millions of pupils out of the classroom.
Alausa stated that government records show approximately 24 million children enroll in primary schools, but only about 4 million complete senior secondary education, meaning more than 20 million students drop out along the way.
“About 24 million children enrol in our primary schools, but only about 4 million complete senior secondary. We have over 20 million children dropping out between primary school and junior secondary school. Where are those students?” he asked.
The minister declared that the policy separating JSS from SSS had failed, adding that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would phase it out to allow students move more smoothly through the education system.
He also criticized previous administrations for failing to address the crisis, insisting that the current government would not repeat the same mistakes.
According to him, the existing arrangement has resulted in overcrowded junior secondary schools while many senior secondary schools remain underutilised, depriving millions of Nigerian children of access to education.
Alausa announced that the proposal to abolish the current policy will be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education for formal approval.
The minister also inaugurated a high-powered implementation committee, chaired by education expert Rashid Aderinoye, to fast-track the completion and operationalisation of hundreds of Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools funded by UBEC across the country.
He lamented that despite billions invested in education infrastructure, many completed schools remain locked and abandoned instead of serving Nigerian children.
Speaking earlier, Aisha Garba, Executive Secretary of UBEC, said the federal government had already established 37 Smart Schools, with 24 currently operational, while the remaining schools are at different stages of completion and furnishing.
She added that the UBEC-Islamic Development Bank Bilingual Education Programme has delivered 30 schools across nine states, while the Alternative Schools Programme continues expanding educational opportunities for vulnerable and out-of-school children.
Responding on behalf of the committee, Prof. Aderinoye pledged that members would work with transparency and diligence to remove obstacles delaying project delivery and improve access to quality education nationwide.
