The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has raised the alarm over the exclusion of about 10 million Nigerian children from early childhood care, development and education, warning that the gap is contributing to the country’s learning crisis.
UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr Aisha Garba, disclosed this in Abuja during a three-day capacity-building workshop for state education officials on the implementation of Early Childhood Care, Development and Education (ECCDE) standards and guidelines.
Garba, who was represented by UBEC Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Rasaq Olajuwon Akinyemi, said only 35.6 per cent of Nigerian children aged between 36 and 59 months currently attend any form of early childhood education.
According to her, the figure leaves roughly 10 million young children outside the ECCDE system, depriving them of the foundation needed for effective learning as they progress through school.
UBEC also cited data from the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, which showed that about 46 per cent of children aged between 24 and 59 months were developmentally off track.
The commission warned that the consequences of inadequate early childhood education become more pronounced as children advance through the education system.
Garba further disclosed that about 70 per cent of Nigerian 10-year-olds cannot read and understand a simple text, highlighting the wider implications of weak foundational learning.
She also said only about 2.4 million of the 5.9 million children who enter primary school each year remain in the education system by the end of junior secondary school.
The UBEC boss therefore called for early childhood development to be treated as a national priority involving not only the education sector but also health, nutrition, water and sanitation, social welfare and other relevant agencies.
She urged state governments to include ECCDE interventions in their State Matching Grant Action Plans, warning that programmes left out of the plans would not receive funding, procurement or monitoring attention.
Garba disclosed that UBEC had extended the deadline for states to submit their ECCDE Action Plans for the next intervention year from September 30 to October 5, 2026. She warned that plans submitted after the new deadline would not be considered for the intervention year.
She also urged states to develop ECCDE programmes that address the needs of the whole child, including children in hard-to-reach, nomadic, riverine and conflict-affected communities.
The commission further called for stronger collaboration among parents, caregivers, education authorities, health agencies, traditional institutions and community organisations to improve access to quality early childhood education.
UBEC’s warning comes amid continuing concerns over Nigeria’s foundational learning crisis, with the commission stressing that improving children’s educational outcomes must begin before they enter primary school.
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