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

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 according to the World Bank’s recent report.

According to a World Bank report, the primary school completion rate is at 73.1 per cent, and the junior secondary school (JSS) rate is at 67.7 per cent.

“Among students attending grade one, 22.5 percent demonstrate foundational (grade two-level) reading and numeracy skills respectively; the rates among students attending grade six are 39.2 per cent and 35.4 per cent respectively, and among students attending the final year of JSS are 71.1 per cent, and 60.2 per cent respectively.

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“Only 3.5 of children aged seven to 14 who are not in school demonstrate foundational reading skills, and 3.9 per cent demonstrate foundational numeracy skills.”

Overall, only about one in four children aged seven to 14 demonstrate foundational literacy and even among children who attend school in these age corresponding grades, only four in 10 demonstrate foundational literacy.

While the country does not yet have official learning poverty figures, estimates using available data suggest more than 75 per cent of Nigerian children are unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10. The share is slightly higher for males when compared to females.

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Access to a formal school not universal

World Bank’s study further revealed that among the reasons cited by parents whose children do not attend schools, is either distance or lack of a school.

In rural areas, the report indicated that these reasons were given in 24 per cent of cases, however, together constituting by far the most common responses, in urban areas, they were given in 8.3 per cent of cases.

“Lack of access is more pronounced in the northern states. The average student-to-classroom (SCR) ratio is 38:1 at the pre-primary level, 60:1 at primary, and 64:1 at the JSS level,” the report said.

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The way forward

Kingsley Moghalu, president of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation buttressing the need for quality education said that good education works to develop not only the learner’s understanding of established knowledge but also sharpens the learner’s mind and enhances their capacity for thinking, creativity, and innovation so they can become active creators of new knowledge.

“Well-educated individuals are not only confident to lead fulfilling personal lives but also actively engage in problem-solving within their societal contexts, thereby elevating overall societal welfare and fostering social cohesion,” he said.

To achieve the need for quality education and curb poverty in Nigeria, there is an urgent need to adequately fund education.

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Isaiah Ogundele, an educationist said inadequate funding of the educational system gives rise to a knowledge gap, which is a serious disease in Nigeria.

“If one is not informed the person becomes deformed. The rich take advantage of the situation to oppress the uneducated poor by using them as errand boys.

“Lack of quality education paralyses economic activities because when the unqualified people are occupying some sensitive positions in the absence of qualified people, they will mismanage the resources to the detriment of the masses,” he said.

Uche Bakaadi, expressed his concern @uchebakaadi, when he said that illiteracy is the weapon fashioned against survival.

“This is the reason we’re always pitied globally as they don’t understand why we are stagnant. Illiteracy is a clog in the wheel of national progress,” he stated.

The education allocation for 2024 was ₦1.5 trillion which is about 7.9 percent of the total budget, which is a far cry from UNESCO’s recommended 26 percent.