‘Nigeria must plan for spike in out-of-school children’

Recently, hundreds of participants from developing countries, cutting across governments, civil society organisations, philanthropic foundations, unions and movements and the United Nations agencies came together to identify solutions to the coming crisis in domestic financing of public education.

The participants in a webinar convened by ActionAid with key speakers from UNESCO, Education International, Global Partnership for Education and others called for action on some critical issues bordering around education, especially post COVID-19 recovery plan.

They noted that COVID-19 has thrown 1.5 billion children out of school and with education systems facing a disturbing crisis in public financing, “It’s unclear how many of them will be able to safely return, or what quality of learning schools will be able to provide to them if they do.”

“We need political will, bold solutions and urgent action to prevent this health crisis from triggering an education calamity that could affect the life prospects of a whole generation of children,” the participants said in their communiqué.

Also, the Country Director, Save the Children International Nigeria, Mercy Gichuhi, in a report noted that the education gap is worsened by COVID-19 and that globally, the gap in education spending could be as high as $77bn.

She said deep budget cuts to education and the rising poverty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could force millions of children out of school forever, with millions more falling behind in learning.

While noting that the impact of school closures extends beyond disruption to education, she said they also carry other risks to children as those who are out of school are at greater risk of being recruited into labour, abuse, violence and exploitation, and for girls, they are more likely to never return to school when lessons resume.

The country director said as pressure mounts on low-income families, children may need to work to bolster family incomes, and girls will face a disproportionately larger burden for caring for family members.

Therefore, there is a tendency that the situation could add millions more into the existing caseload of out-of-school children in Nigeria,” Gichuhi said.

Before the COVID-19 crisis, Nigeria was estimated to have about 11 million out-of-school children, one of the highest rates in the world.

A Professor of Education Leadership Development with the University of Abuja, Prof Salihu Ingawa, told Daily Trust that it is only in Nigeria that there is no sound e-learning, saying, former President Olusegun Obasanjo started it to be using solar energy starting from the rural areas but it was abandoned.

Prof Ingawa said Nigeria’s basic level is in trauma because there are so many that were excluded – the almajiri, children with special needs, and the girl child – which is a big problem.

“The girl child is suffering, she is the one hawking and not going to school. We have to have a concrete foundation and not made of sand; our education is not on a solid foundation,” he said.

Also, a Professor of Education, Curriculum and Instructions, University of Abuja, Prof Emmanuel Ndam Danladi, agreed that Nigeria is expected to have more out of school children, saying, “Even when things were normal we has out of school children in millions, now that COVID-19 is here, somebody who wants to be at home has the opportunity now.”

He said Nigeria needs to develop more strategies to tackle the challenge.

Similarly, in order to prevent more children from dropping from school, the spokesman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Mr Samson Haruna, suggested that government should spiritedly, sincerely and honestly create certain relief (like education palliative) to take off some burden from parents.

He said there should also be immediate resumption of school feeding programme and provision of stationeries to pupils.

Haruna also encouraged philanthropists to provide free uniforms, pen, pencils, sandals and belts etc.

“Government should refurbish schools so it becomes welcoming and inviting and make concerted effort in enlightenment and assurance of educational palliative for parents in terms of financial assistance,” he said.

Also, experts suggested that aid to education should be a particular priority in the post-COVID period, part of a revaluing of public systems, with a clear priority for equity both in the distribution and allocation of aids.

They said it was a global crisis and that it was already clear that government action and public systems will be key to the rebuilding and reform of education on the scale that is required.