By Prof Oyewole Sarumi
Nigeria’s education system is at a crossroad of decision especially with the obvious decadence staring us in the face. With a rapidly growing population and a persistent gap in access to quality education, the need for expansion across all levels of learning—primary, secondary, and tertiary—has never been more urgent.
This challenge was recently brought to the fore by the Nigerian University Commission (NUC). During a Senate Committee hearing on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, the NUC’s Acting Executive Secretary, Chris Maiyaki, revealed the alarming reality: only 500,000 to 700,000 students out of two million annual university applicants are admitted, leaving 1.3 million young Nigerians without access to tertiary education.
The NUC maintains that Nigeria has the regulatory framework to expand its university network, but the challenge is urgent and requires decisive government action. Beyond universities, this necessity extends to primary and secondary education, as the foundation for a robust educational pipeline begins with accessible and high-quality early learning opportunities.
This article explores the critical gaps within Nigeria’s education ecosystem, highlights the necessity of substantial investment in school infrastructure across all levels ensuring that every child and youth has access to quality education, and provides actionable recommendations for policymakers and administrators to transform Nigeria’s educational environment.
THE CRITICAL GAPS IN NIGERIA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM
Despite its position as Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria faces a significant shortfall in educational access and quality. The following are key gaps undermining the system:
- Insufficient Educational Infrastructure
Nigeria currently operates 275 universities, both public and private. This number pales in comparison to countries with bigger, similar or smaller populations. For instance:
• India: Over 5,350 universities for 1.4 billion people.
• Indonesia: Approximately 3,300 universities for 200 million people.
• China: Over 3,012 universities for 1.4 billion people.
• Brazil: About 2,368 universities for 216.4 million people
• US: Approximately 5,300 universities for 334.9 million people
• Russia: Over 3,000 universities for 143.8 million people
The largest university in Nigeria is the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) with about 565,000 students, followed by both University of Lagos and University of Ilorin with students’ population between 50,000-60,000. All other universities are below this mark which reveals the low capacity of the current 275 institutions.
On the primary and secondary education front, the situation is equally dire. According to UNESCO (2023), 60% of Nigeria’s schools lack basic infrastructure, including adequate classrooms, libraries, and laboratories, making learning environments unfit for academic success. - Alarming Out-of-School Rates
The number of out-of-school children in Nigeria stands at 20 million (UNICEF, 2022), the highest globally. This figure underscores systemic inefficiencies in education policy implementation and budget allocation. - Urban-Rural Education Disparities
Rural communities face the brunt of neglect, with limited schools, lack of adequate infrastructures like roads, health facilities, electricity, housing, inadequate teaching staff, and lack of educational resources. These disparities widen the gap between urban and rural areas, perpetuating cycles of ignorance and abject poverty. - Teacher Shortages and Training Deficiencies
Nigeria’s education sector suffers from a severe shortage of qualified and professional teachers. Those in the system are often overburdened, poorly compensated, and lack access to continuous professional development. Teaching in Nigeria has become the last resort for most unemployed youth, and this portend a dangerous omen for the quality of teachers especially in our primary and secondary schools. In Finland and Singapore, the best graduates are the ones employed into the teaching profession, and one can just imagine the state of quality of education in such a clime!
A COMPELLING CASE FOR INCREASED INVESTMENT IN SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE ACROSS ALL LEVELS
The future of Nigeria hinges on its ability to educate its youth. Investing in education infrastructure is not only a moral imperative but also an economic necessity if Nigeria is serious in its overall development.
- Primary Education: Laying the Foundation: Primary education is the bedrock of learning, providing children with foundational skills in literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking. With over 81,520 primary schools in Nigeria, there is still an acute need for expansion to meet the demands of the growing school-age population. Priorities include:
• Building and equipping schools in rural and underserved areas.
• Providing free or subsidized education to ensure universal access to anyone under 18 years.
• Developing robust monitoring mechanisms to uphold standards.
• The target must be to triple these 81,520 schools within the next ten years. - Secondary Education: Preparing for the Future: The secondary school stage is pivotal in preparing students for higher education and vocational pursuits. With 23,550 secondary schools, Nigeria must bridge the gap between demand and supply by:
• Increasing the number of public secondary schools, particularly in rural and outskirt of urban/semi-urban areas across the country.
• Equipping schools with modern laboratories, libraries, and ICT infrastructure.
• Enhancing teacher training programmes to deliver quality education.
• Increase the 24,000 schools to 50,000 schools within the next 15 years. - Tertiary Education: Unlocking Human Capital Potential: The tertiary sector is in crisis, with a shortfall in university placements (about 1.3m students are not admitted annually) and limited options for polytechnic and vocational training. To address this:
• Establish at least 1,000 new tertiary institutions within the next decade, with a focus on polytechnics and teacher-training colleges.
• Encourage public-private partnerships to boost capacity and infrastructure.
• Invest in research facilities to nurture innovation and global competitiveness.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EDUCATION POLICY MAKERS AND ADMINISTRATORS
- Increase Budgetary Allocation for Education: The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommends that nations allocate at least 15-20% of their annual budgets to education. Nigeria currently allocates about 7%, which is grossly inadequate. By prioritizing education funding, the government can address infrastructure gaps, hire more teachers, and improve learning outcomes.
- Strengthen Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs): Encouraging private sector involvement can help alleviate the strain on government resources. PPPs can finance school construction, provide scholarships, and support teacher training initiatives. However, a wholesale commercialisation of education in Nigeria will continue to widen the poverty gap if government refuses to play decisive and active role.
- Digital Transformation in Schools: With Nigeria ranking 143 out of 176 in ICT development (ITU, 2023), there is an urgent need to invest in digital infrastructure. Providing computers, internet access, and ICT training in schools will prepare students for the demands of the modern workforce.
- Decentralize Education Management: State and local governments should be empowered to manage and fund primary and secondary education effectively. A decentralized system can address region-specific challenges and ensure accountability. Although, this is already in operation, but more is required.
- Address Rural Disparities: Targeted interventions, such as mobile schools, hybrid learning model, teacher incentives for rural postings, and community-led education programmes, can bridge urban-rural gaps and improve access in remote areas.
- Improve Teacher Welfare and Training: Teachers are the backbone of any education system. Teaching must be professionalised in Nigeria for sanity and dedication. Ensuring competitive salaries, professional development opportunities, and supportive work environments will attract and retain skilled educators.
- Promote Vocational and Technical Education: Expanding vocational and technical education will equip students with practical skills for the job market, reducing unemployment and nurturing economic growth.
CONCLUSION
The Nigerian education system stands at a critical juncture after 64 years post-independence. With a rapidly expanding population and mounting global competition, the need for a robust, inclusive, and well-funded education system has never been more urgent. Addressing the critical gaps in infrastructure, teacher training, digital transformation and policy implementation will unlock Nigeria’s vast human capital potential.
Education is not merely a policy issue; it is a matter of national survival and progress. Policymakers and administrators must act decisively to ensure that every Nigerian child and youth has access to quality education. By doing so, Nigeria can build a future characterized by innovation, equity, and sustainable development.
PS: This article underscores the urgency of transforming Nigeria’s education ecosystem and invites stakeholders at all levels to commit to meaningful action. The time is now! It is getting late so that any catch-up won’t even be necessary if we do the needful now. If our political leaders and government officials would focus on education, we can start exporting human capital en-masse to every corner of the world! That’s what India is great at today.
I think it is even time for Nigeria to start establishing elite institutions that will be producing top-notch graduates that can compete with the best in the new world of digital transformation! More on this in subsequent piece! For any nation to be prosperous in this globalized world,
it is a necessity for the country’s educational system to function properly, because only by having a strong educational system can everything else, including technology and economic growth and development, strive and flourish.
