YOBE State is grappling with a deepening education crisis as poverty, cultural misconceptions, and infrastructural deficits continue to push hundreds of thousands of children out of the classroom and into the streets.
Educators and community leaders across the state have raised the alarm over the growing number of out-of-school children, many of whom are forced into street hawking, begging, or menial labor trapped in a cycle of poverty and illiteracy that threatens the future of the region.
Speaking to our correspondent, Malam Umar Maruma Alibe, a long-serving secondary school teacher in Yobe, lamented the worsening condition of the education sector, particularly in rural communities.
“Many parents are overwhelmed by poverty and can barely feed their families. Education becomes a luxury when survival is at stake,” he said.
Malam Alibe noted that beyond the economic strain, cultural and religious biases remain major obstacles to enrollment and retention. According to him, several communities still view Western education with suspicion, doubting its relevance in alleviating poverty especially when even university graduates in their midst remain unemployed.
“There are villages where one school serves up to seven communities. Children walk over five kilometers to attend school. By the time they return home, they are exhausted or discouraged. Many simply stop going.”
He also highlighted the dire welfare conditions of teachers, describing them as demoralized, underpaid, and left without basic support.
“A hungry teacher cannot educate. Poor housing, late salaries, and neglect have broken the morale of educators in many areas.”
During a field visit to the Family Support Hospital along Gashu’a Road, the human cost of the crisis became even more evident. Among a group of children hawking goods was 9-year-old Haruna Abubakar, who had never seen the inside of a classroom.
“My father died two years ago. I want to go to school, but my mother cannot afford books or uniforms,” he said softly, clutching a sachet of water he hoped to sell under the sweltering sun.
Another child, 13-year-old Hauwa Salisu, had completed primary school in 2023 but dropped out due to lack of funds.
“My father said we have no money for secondary school. I’m saving to return, but I don’t know when,” she said, visibly discouraged.
Their stories echo the experience of 658,770 children in Yobe State who are currently out of school, according to UNICEF. Combined with Borno and Adamawa states, the number across the Northeast climbs to 1.6 million—making it one of the worst-hit regions in Nigeria.
Alhaji Hamisu Dan’auwa, Education Secretary of Nguru Local Government Area, confirmed the dire statistics but noted that some progress had been made through donor partnerships.
“We’ve collaborated with UNICEF and the Opportunity to Learn (OTL) program. Over 3,000 children have been enrolled and given learning materials.”
He added that 50 learning centers were set up across Nguru, each enrolling 40 pupils, offering at least a small window of hope.
However, the exit of OTL after U.S. aid funding was suspended during the Trump administration left a significant vacuum.
“Their departure has hurt our ability to reach more children. We are now relying on limited internal resources,” Dan’auwa said.
Education advocates and stakeholders are united in calling for immediate and sustained investment by both federal and state governments.
They emphasize the need for: Expanded school infrastructure, especially in rural areas, improved teacher welfare and recruitment, public sensitization campaigns to counter cultural misconceptions, conditional cash transfers to poor families to keep children in school and strategic partnerships with international agencies.
Without urgent action, children like Haruna and Hauwa risk becoming part of a lost generation—one that never received the tools to lift themselves, their families, or their communities out of poverty.
“This is not just an education issue,” said Malam Alibe. “It is a security issue, an economic issue, and a human development issue.”
As the streets of Damaturu and Nguru fill with child hawkers and barefoot beggars, their presence serves as a daily reminder that no society can thrive while its children are left behind.
The future of Yobe and by extension, Nigeria’s Northeast depends on decisions made today.