Nigeria faces ticking time-bomb with 37m children unable to read—Achebo

Nubi Achebo, director of academic planning at Nigerian University of Technology and Management (NUTM) has emphasised that the 37 million Nigerian children who cannot read and understand simple text has severe implications for the country’s economic development.

According to a World Bank report, not less than 37 out of 50.7 million children aged seven to 14 years in Nigeria are unable to read and understand a simple text.

“The primary school completion rate is 73.1 percent, and the junior secondary school (JSS) rate is 67.7 percent.”

Achebo in an interview with BusinessDay on Thursday said the staggering number of Nigerian children who cannot read and understand simple text has severe implications such as limited economic opportunities, reduced productivity, and perpetuation of poverty, among others.

“A lack of basic literacy skills restricts these children’s future job prospects, making it challenging for them to secure decent employment and break the cycle of poverty.

Illiteracy leads to reduced productivity, as individuals struggle to participate in the formal economy or engage in entrepreneurial activities. This, in turn, hinders economic growth and development.

Read also: Nigeria’s 37m children can’t read, understand simple text— World Bank

“The inability to read and understand simple text perpetuates poverty, as individuals are unable to access better-paying job opportunities or participate in economic decision-making,” he said.

The academia reiterated that if nothing is done about the significant portion of the country’s young population not being able to read and understand simple text, it will lead to lack of basic literacy skills, and that Nigeria may become increasingly reliant on unskilled labour.

“This can lead to a lack of competitiveness in the global market, further exacerbating economic challenges,” he noted.

Moreover, Achebo maintains that if this menace is not addressed, it will have alarming long-term consequences.

He said going by a World Bank report which emphasised that every additional year of education can increase an individual’s earnings by up to 10 percent, the economic potential of Nigeria’s future workforce is being severely compromised.

“To address this issue, it’s essential for the Nigerian government, educational institutions, and organisations to collaborate on initiatives that improve literacy rates, particularly in the northern states.

According to the Global Partnership for Education, education plays a crucial role in human, social, and economic development.

Education can promote gender equality, reduce child marriage, promote peace, and increase a person’s chances of having a healthy life.

Experts consider education to be a human right, one that grants every person more opportunities in life, such as employment opportunities, better health, and the ability to participate in the political process.

Education is believed to be a key component of human capital development, and is recognised as being vital in increasing the productive capacity and living standard of people.

Poverty and illiteracy are components of the web of challenges that Nigeria has been entangled in since it became a sovereign state. Interestingly, poverty causes illiteracy, and illiteracy causes poverty, so there is a direct relationship between both problems.