FG Raises Alarm as Three in Four Nigerian Children Cannot Read by Age 10

The Federal Government has raised concerns over Nigeria’s worsening learning crisis, revealing that about three out of every four children at the basic education level are unable to read and understand an age-appropriate text by the age of 10.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this in Abuja during a Federal Ministry of Education and Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) roundtable on digital resources for improving learning outcomes. He described the situation as unacceptable and called for the urgent adoption of technology-driven learning to reverse the trend.

According to the minister, the country must embrace digital education to complement classroom teaching, particularly in underserved communities facing shortages of qualified teachers. He said digital platforms can help improve learning outcomes in core subjects, including English, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.

Alausa also lamented the poor utilisation of government-backed digital learning platforms, noting that although the Nigeria Learning Passport has about 2.3 million users, the figure remains low compared to the country’s estimated 67 million learners in primary, junior and senior secondary schools.

He urged state governments to promote the use of available digital learning tools and ensure teachers and school administrators are trained to maximise the platforms, stressing that improving foundational literacy is critical to Nigeria’s education and human capital development goals.