UNICEF has identified Kano State, Jigawa State and Katsina State as the states with the highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, warning that urgent investment in early childhood education is crucial to reversing the growing crisis.
News Point Nigeria reports that the organisation disclosed that Nigeria currently accounts for approximately 18.3 million out-of-school children, the highest number recorded anywhere in the world.
The revelation was made by Aisha Abdullahi during a two-day dialogue organised for journalists drawn from the three affected states.
Presenting a paper on foundation learning and skills development, Abdullahi said Kano, Jigawa and Katsina collectively contribute nearly 30 per cent of Nigeria’s total out-of-school children population.
According to her, the crisis is being driven by a combination of poverty, insecurity, cultural barriers and poor school readiness among children.
She stressed that Early Childhood Care, Development and Education (ECCDE) remains one of the most effective long-term solutions to the crisis because it prevents children from dropping out before they even enter the formal school system.
“Early childhood education is not just a preparatory stage but a strategic intervention to reduce the number of out-of-school children,” she stated.
Abdullahi explained that ECCDE targets children from birth to the age of five, equipping them with essential cognitive, emotional and social skills required for successful transition into formal education.
She noted that children exposed to early learning programmes are more likely to enrol in school, remain in school and complete their education successfully.
According to her, children who miss out on early childhood education are twice as likely to drop out of school later in life.
The UNICEF consultant also cited research findings showing that nearly 90 per cent of brain development occurs before the age of five, making the early years a critical period for educational intervention.
Despite the inclusion of one year of pre-primary education within Nigeria’s Universal Basic Education framework, Abdullahi lamented that access to ECCDE services remains very limited, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
She further revealed that communities with functional ECCDE centres record as much as 40 per cent higher enrolment into Primary One, alongside improved school retention rates.
The UNICEF expert also highlighted the importance of early childhood education in promoting girls’ education, explaining that early learning helps delay child marriage and encourages stronger parental involvement in children’s education, especially among mothers.
However, stakeholders who participated in the dialogue raised concerns over what they described as low male involvement in early childhood learning across the region.
According to them, fewer than 15 per cent of fathers actively participate in children’s early education, despite evidence showing that increased father involvement could reduce school dropout rates by up to 50 per cent.
Participants at the meeting therefore called for urgent policy measures to address the situation.
Among the recommendations made were the expansion of ECCDE centres across primary schools, allocation of at least five per cent of education budgets to early learning programmes, recruitment and training of more teachers, and integration of traditional and religious education systems into formal early learning structures.
The stakeholders maintained that sustained investment in early childhood education remains the most effective pathway to addressing Nigeria’s worsening out-of-school children crisis.