Former Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas, has called for bold, coordinated and inclusive measures to tackle the growing challenge of out-of-school children in Northern Nigeria, warning that the crisis poses a serious threat to the region’s social stability, economic growth and long-term development.
Delivering a keynote address at a one-day roundtable conference held at Yusuf Bala Usman Hall, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Main Campus, Samaru, Zaria, yesterday, Professor Abbas said the challenge has gone beyond being merely an education problem. Rather, it has become a major development and security concern that demands urgent attention from governments, traditional and religious institutions, universities, civil society organisations, development partners and local communities.
The roundtable conference was organised by Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, as part of its continuing engagement with policymakers, academics and development partners to develop practical strategies for addressing the out-of-school children crisis in Northern Nigeria.
Presenting the paper titled “ _Out-of-School Children in Northern Nigeria: Understanding the Context, Rethinking the Challenge and Charting a Transformative Policy Agenda,”_ the former Vice-Chancellor argued that ending the crisis requires far more than increasing school enrolment.
According to him, lasting success lies in designing practical, context-specific policies that address the diverse circumstances preventing children from accessing education.
He explained that millions of children remain outside the classroom because of poverty, insecurity, displacement, disability, harmful social norms, weaknesses within the education system and inadequate government interventions.
Professor Abbas noted that treating all out-of-school children as a single, homogeneous group has weakened previous interventions because the barriers confronting different categories of children vary considerably.
Professor Abbas, who also served as Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Federal Universities, identified several categories of out-of-school children requiring targeted interventions.
These include children who have never enrolled in school, school dropouts, Almajirai and pupils attending traditional Qur’anic schools operating outside integrated education systems, nomadic and pastoralist children, internally displaced children, children living with disabilities, girls denied education because of gender-related barriers, and children engaged in street hawking, domestic service, artisanal work and other forms of child labour.
He stressed that policymakers must abandon one-size-fits-all solutions and instead develop differentiated strategies capable of addressing the unique needs and circumstances of each category of child.
Professor Abbas warned that allowing millions of children to remain outside school would expose society to rising poverty, unemployment, insecurity, crime, violent extremism and social exclusion. He maintained that no society can achieve sustainable development when a significant proportion of its young population is denied access to quality education.
According to him, Northern Nigeria possesses a rich tradition of learning built upon centuries of Islamic scholarship. He emphasised that the current educational crisis should not be interpreted as a rejection of education but rather as evidence of the widening gap between traditional learning systems, modern education and the harsh socio-economic realities confronting many families.
Citing recent global and national statistics, Professor Abbas noted that UNESCO estimates that more than 250 million children and young people are currently out of school worldwide. Nigeria, he said, accounts for over 18 million out-of-school children, with nearly two-thirds residing in the North-West and North-East geopolitical zones.
He maintained that reversing the trend requires strong political will, sustainable financing, institutional reforms, greater community participation and effective collaboration among all stakeholders.
Professor Abbas expressed confidence that, with deliberate and sustained action, Northern Nigeria can transform the current crisis into an opportunity for inclusive human capital development, ensuring that every child—regardless of background or circumstance—has access to quality education and a brighter future.
The roundtable conference brought together academics, policymakers, government officials and development partners to deliberate on practical and sustainable solutions to one of Northern Nigeria’s most pressing educational and development challenges.
