Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu has revealed that Nigeria accounts for 12.4 percent of out-of-school children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Adamu who spoke at an event to mark the 2023 education week of the Edo government in Benin, the state capital, said the numberof out-of-school children in the country increased following school closure and the non-return of children after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Olatunji Davis, Director of Basic Education in the education ministry who represented the minister, said data from the 2018 national population audit shows that 10.5 million Nigerian children are not in school.
Davis said;
“Our education challenge is an open secret; out of 258 million out-of-school children worldwide, an estimated 62 million are in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“Nigeria is said to account for 12.4 percent of the out-of-school children in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Education is one of the most important investments a country can make in its future. It is a powerful agent of change which improves health, livelihoods, contributes to social stability and drives long-term economic growth.
“The return on investment in education is very high; therefore, there must be no compromise on quality.”