Rotimi Idris
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that millions of Nigerian children face the danger of being permanently excluded from the rapidly expanding global digital economy unless urgent investments are made in education, digital literacy and skills development.
The warning came on Tuesday during a two-day Media Dialogue on Digital Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Skills Development for Out-of-School Children, organised by the Osun State Ministry of Education in collaboration with UNICEF in Ede, Osun State.
Speaking at the event, Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s education landscape, revealing that only one in four children attending school can read properly and solve basic mathematics problems by the age of 14.
According to her, the learning crisis, combined with the country’s huge population of out-of-school children, threatens to leave millions unprepared for a future increasingly driven by technology and artificial intelligence.
Lafoucriere noted that the situation is even more troubling because the figure only reflects children who are already enrolled in school, while millions of others remain completely excluded from the education system.
She warned that as artificial intelligence and digital technologies continue to transform economies and workplaces globally, children without access to quality education and digital skills would be left behind.
“I want to start with one number, one in four. Of all the children in Nigeria who actually go to school, only one in four can read properly and do basic math at age 14. Just one in four.
“There are 10 million more who never get to school at all. These are not numbers in government reports. These are real children growing up without the skills they need to survive, get jobs, support families or contribute to the economy.
“The children who know how to use this technology will have a chance. The ones who don’t will be left behind. Right now, out-of-school children in Nigeria are the ones being left out.
“When journalists keep coming back to an important story like this week after week, people start paying attention. Policymakers listen, politicians listen. A story that does not go away is a story that gets acted upon,” Lafoucriere said.
In his remarks, Osun State Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole, said digital technology and artificial intelligence offer significant opportunities to bridge learning gaps and improve educational outcomes for vulnerable children.
Eluwole, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Muritala Jimoh acknowledged that millions of children remain excluded from education due to poverty, insecurity, cultural barriers and geographical limitations.
He said the Osun State Government, working with UNICEF and other development partners, has made progress in reducing the number of out-of-school children through targeted intervention programmes.
Eluwole identified insecurity and migration as major contributors to the challenge, explaining that many affected children in Osun migrated from northern parts of the country as a result of security concerns.
According to him, the state has implemented various back-to-school initiatives and partnerships aimed at integrating vulnerable children into the formal education system.
He further disclosed that beneficiaries of UNICEF-supported digital learning programmes are already leveraging digital and artificial intelligence skills to improve their livelihoods and support their families economically.
The commissioner highlighted the Nigerian Learning Passport initiative, supported by UNICEF, as a key platform providing vulnerable children with opportunities to acquire digital literacy and essential skills outside conventional classroom settings.
Presenting data on the national situation, UNICEF Education Specialist, Harold Kpojime, said recent statistics indicate that Nigeria now has nearly 20 million out-of-school children, one of the highest figures in the world.
“One in every three primary school-age children in Nigeria is currently out of school”.
Kpojime attributed the crisis to poverty, insecurity, gender inequality and weak school retention rates, stressing that the challenge goes beyond enrolment.
“The challenge is not just enrolment. It is retention, transition and completion,” he said.
He revealed that only 54 per cent of Nigerian children complete senior secondary education, warning that the country risks producing a generation ill-equipped for the demands of a technology-driven economy.
UNICEF Nigeria Communication Officer, Blessings Ejiofor, said the media dialogue was designed to strengthen journalists’ understanding of the out-of-school children crisis and the role digital learning, artificial intelligence and skills development can play in addressing it.
She described the media as a critical partner in amplifying the challenges facing vulnerable children and influencing actions that can expand access to quality education.
Ejiofor urged journalists to sustain advocacy efforts, noting that increased public awareness and informed reporting remain vital tools in tackling Nigeria’s growing out-of-school children challenge.
