FG’s school reform will help tackle out-of-school crisis — Expert

An education expert and founder of IA-Foundation, Ibironke Adeagbo, on Monday described the Federal Government’s reported proposal to review the separation between Junior Secondary School and Senior Secondary School as a timely intervention that could help reduce the number of children dropping out before completing secondary education.

The UK-based charity founder, whose organisation operates in both the United Kingdom and Nigeria, however, stressed that structural reforms alone would not solve Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis, calling for sustained collaboration among governments, development partners, the private sector and civil society.

In a statement released on Monday, Adeagbo said every child who leaves school before completing his or her education represents a loss of human potential.

“Every child who leaves school before completing their education represents lost human potential. We welcome reforms that remove barriers to progression and support children to remain in school.

“However, reducing out-of-school children requires more than structural policy reform; it requires sustained collaboration, innovation and accountability across the education ecosystem,” she said.

Adeagbo said the foundation’s position builds on discussions at its education summit held last month, where policymakers, education experts, civil society organisations and other stakeholders explored practical and scalable solutions to Nigeria’s out-of-school children challenge.

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She noted that the summit produced an Education White Paper designed to stimulate policy and advocacy discussions, while the foundation also unveiled a dedicated online portal to connect out-of-school children with sponsors and supporters willing to fund their education.

According to her, addressing the country’s education crisis requires coordinated action involving government, private sector organisations, philanthropists, schools, communities and civil society actors.

She reaffirmed IA-Foundation’s commitment to promoting better educational outcomes through advocacy, strategic partnerships and evidence-based engagement.

The FG recently disclosed that it is considering a review of the current structure separating Junior Secondary School and Senior Secondary School as part of broader education reforms aimed at improving retention and reducing the number of children who leave school before completing secondary education.

The proposal forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s education system and tackle the country’s persistent out-of-school children crisis. According to estimates by the United Nations Children’s Fund, Nigeria has one of the largest populations of out-of-school children globally, with millions of school-age children lacking access to quality basic education.

Education experts have consistently argued that while policy reforms are important, improved funding, better infrastructure, teacher development, social protection programmes and stronger community engagement are critical to keeping children in school and improving learning outcomes.