The Nigeria Union of Journalists has called for an improvement in the standard of education to tackle the high rate of out-of-school population in the country.

The union also observed that the significance of this occasion must not be lost on the governments of the Nigerian federation, both at the federal and sub-national units.

In a statement made available on Monday by its National Secretary, Achike Chude, to commemorate World Literacy Day, it was noted that despite various efforts made by different entities and institutions to raise the standard of education in the country, these efforts are not enough.

“The new annual global education monitoring report by UNESCO indicates that 251 million are out of school (OOS), which is a mere reduction of one per cent since 2015.

“In Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, the indicators are dire. The report shows a clear connection between illiteracy and countries in extreme poverty.

“Similarly, a previous 2022 report by UNICEF had shown that one in three children is out of school in Nigeria. This means 10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the junior secondary school (JSS) level, while 12 million children never attended school and 5.9 million left school early,” the union read.

The union further described as “outrageous and unsustainable” the country’s out-of-school population, which accounts for a whopping 15 per cent of the global total.

“The situation is not helped by the constant search for new and greener pastures by teachers and educators beyond the shores of our country, thereby adding to the greatly diminished numbers of those emptying of our education system,” the union said.

It, however, called on governments and institutions of government to brace up for the challenge “to ensure that our people are made literate through deliberate policies and investments in education, as well as provide much greater incentives to educators.”