Educationist Calls For Free, Compulsory Education
The Federal Government has sounded the alarm that 24 million pupils who were enrolled in primary schools dropped out before advancing to senior secondary schools.

Specifically, it expressed concern that out of 30 million pupils from 21 states already captured on the digitised Nigeria Education Management Information System (NEMIS) platform, only six million remained at the senior secondary level.

This came as an educationist, Chief Daniel Ovabor, has called for free, compulsory education to strengthen Nigeria’s future, stressing that political interference in schools has hindered national development.

Speaking on Friday in Abuja at the ministerial roundtable on zero-rated data and devices for Nigerian teachers, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, emphasised that statistics from the NEMIS platform reveal a disturbing trend that threatens the country’s educational development and long-term human capital goals.

He said: “The information we’re seeing on that digital platform is scary. We wouldn’t have been able to fathom the problem we have if we don’t have that kind of visible data that you can see. From the 21 states that have loaded their data, we have about 30 million children in our primary schools. And from primary school transiting to JSS1, it dropped to 10 million; 20 million kids gone. We can’t see them. They’re not going from primary school to Junior Secondary School.

“And from Junior Secondary School to Senior Secondary School, another four million kids gone. It’s scary. But then, we’ve seen the problem now. So, we can now start looking at evidence based interventions. And as we intervene, we can now monitor outcome.”

According to him, the high rate of dropouts between primary and senior secondary school levels underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions to keep children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, in school.

NEMIS is a web-based platform designed to collect, process, and provide reliable real-time educational data to support better decision-making at national, state, and local levels. This advancement places Nigeria among countries like Kenya and Sri Lanka that utilise similar platforms.

Alausa said the biometrics of every single school child was being loaded into the digitised platform, stressing that this data-driven approach would enable tracking and targeted intervention.

He noted that with this initiative, the yearly school census from 2026 would be digital. “It’s not manual anymore. Paper will be taken out completely,” he explained.

In his remarks at the 50th anniversary of Spring Private School (SPS) and Bosede Idehen International Academy (BIIA), Abule-Egba, Lagos, organised in honour of the founder, Bosede Idehen, with the theme, ‘Honouring The Past, Sharing The Future,’ Ovabor noted that Nigeria’s educational successes were largely driven by parents’ commitment rather than effective government policies.

“You will see a parent who cannot afford a square meal but still sends his or her child to a school where they pay hundreds of thousands of naira. It has been established that education is the leveler. It’s the one that can bring people from poverty to any level they want,” he stated.

He emphasised that leadership must change for the better to ensure education drives national progress. He urged the government to provide free and compulsory basic education, from kindergarten to secondary level, for both public and private schools.

“They should make it free, pay for it, and invest in it because the developmental strategies of a child start from kindergarten. When a child misses that opportunity, it becomes very difficult to catch up,” he said.

He also called for public enlightenment on the importance of early childhood education, noting that parents must understand the value of building a strong academic foundation from the earliest stages.

Highlighting his school’s achievements, Ovabor said the institution remains committed to meeting both Nigerian and American educational standards.

“With the incorporation of Nigerian and American education, our graduates are highly talented across cultural and educational spectrums,” he noted.

He added that many of the school’s alumni were excelling in universities and workplaces worldwide due to the strong foundation they received.

According to him, the long-term goal of the institution is to produce well-rounded students capable of contributing meaningfully to national development.

“The founder set a goal that every child who comes out of this school will be able to take care of himself and his family, develop the nation, and be productive in whatever society he finds himself in,” Ovabor affirmed.

Director, SPS/BIIA and Nigerian-U.S. registered pharmacist, Mrs. Maureen Idehen-Ovabor, also emphasised the need to prepare children for global competitiveness while ensuring they remain committed to national development.

“We’re trying to educate them so that when they make it out of the country, they learn, come back, and help the country. I’m not here to get children to go abroad and stay abroad. It’s important that they help their country,” she said.

She explained that the school’s multilingual and technology-driven approach is designed to make students globally adaptable and locally impactful.

“We’re multilingual for that reason. Our children are taught in French, English, and Spanish. In America and South America, Spanish is a huge plus. If you come to the United States and you have knowledge of Spanish, you’re top-notch, you get hired, even over native speakers,” she said.

Maureen noted that the school integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its curriculum to match global educational trends.

“We subscribe to a company that gives us AI materials. Our class notes are generated by AI. It’s international level. Every week, the students get new materials and study them in class. We don’t leave it to the teachers alone; I ensure they get globally relevant information.

“My goal is to have them educationally sound. When they cross the Atlantic, they can look any child in the eye and measure up or even do better. Some of our graduates are already in pharmacy and medical schools, with distinctions,” she said.