The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has expressed concern over the low access to early childhood education in Nigeria, warning that it is worsening learning outcomes. According to UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr. Aisha Garba, about 10 million Nigerian children aged 36 to 59 months are excluded from early childhood education. This represents about 64.4 percent of children in this age group who do not attend any form of early childhood education.
The 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey revealed that only 35.6 percent of Nigerian children aged 36 to 59 months attend early childhood education. Furthermore, about 46 percent of children aged 24 to 59 months are developmentally off track. The consequences of inadequate early childhood education become more pronounced as children progress through the school system. This has significant implications for their future academic success.
Dr. Garba, represented by Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Rasaq Olajuwon Akinyemi, spoke at a three-day capacity-building workshop for state actors on early childhood care, development, and education in Abuja. She emphasized that early childhood development must be treated as an integrated national priority involving education, health, nutrition, water, and sanitation, women's affairs, social welfare, and Local Government Education Authorities.
The UBEC boss cited Nobel Laureate James Heckman's estimate of about 13 percent annual return per child on high-quality birth-to-five programs. She urged states to include ECCDE interventions in their State Matching Grant Action Plans, warning that programs omitted from the plans would not receive funding, procurement, or monitoring attention. The deadline for states to submit their ECCDE Action Plans for the next intervention year has been extended from September 30 to October 5, 2026.
Dr. Garba also urged states to ensure that children with disabilities and those in hard-to-reach, nomadic, riverine, and conflict-affected communities are included in ECCDE programs. She called for stronger engagement with parents, caregivers, School-Based Management Committees, traditional institutions, and religious bodies. Communities can provide important platforms for reaching children outside conventional classrooms.
The 2023–24 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey put stunting among children under five at 40 percent nationally, ranging from 12 percent in Rivers State to 65 percent in Katsina State. Dr. Garba directed ECCDE centers to comply with standards covering child safety, supervision, safeguarding, food and water safety, structural safety, and emergency exits.
The workshop, organized by UBEC's Department of Special Programmes and Early Childhood in collaboration with UNICEF, aims to strengthen state-level capacity for ECCDE planning, financing, implementation, monitoring, data management, and community engagement. The event brought together state and relevant education actors, including SUBEB Directors of Special Programmes, ECCDE Desk Officers, and UBEC officials.
Key points
- About 10 million Nigerian children are excluded from early childhood education.
- Only 35.6 percent of Nigerian children aged 36 to 59 months attend early childhood education.
- The consequences of inadequate early childhood education become more pronounced as children progress through the school system.
