School attendance figures masking learning crisis among Nigerian children – FG raises concern

The Nigerian government has raised concern over the practice of assessing children based solely on their presence in schools, suggesting that the system may be counting attendees rather than evaluating the quality of learning received. Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, pointed out that UNICEF's 2024 data revealed that 74% of children aged seven to 14 years lacked basic reading, cognitive, and mathematics skills.

Ahmad emphasized that not all children present in schools are necessarily learning effectively, as factors such as bullying, exclusion, ridicule, and unsafe environments could prevent them from doing so. At a national trainers' session on creating safe learning environments, she stressed that a child's presence in school should be matched by evidence that they are safe, included, participating, and learning.

Ahmad cautioned that merely counting enrolments may overlook girls who quietly withdraw from school without being officially recorded as absent. She urged educators to focus on the emotional and mental well-being of learners and their ability to learn at every stage, rather than solely on the number of days attended. The Federal Ministry of Education has introduced the National Policy on Anti-Bullying in Nigerian Schools and its implementation guidelines, but the success of the policy hinges on how teachers and other adults respond to bullying, abuse, or exclusion when they encounter it.