UNICEF Warns of Digital Skills Gap Among Nigerian Children

UNICEF's Chief Field Officer in Lagos, Céline Lafoucrier, stated on Wednesday, during a media dialogue in Osun State, that 10 million children in Nigeria are not attending school, resulting in a lack of basic digital and mathematical skills. She expressed concern that children are growing up without the necessary skills for future employment and economic participation.

Dr. Harold Kpojim, an education specialist at UNICEF, warned that 20 million school children are currently out of school, with 10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the junior secondary level. He noted that 50% of girls do not attend basic education.

The report highlights Nigeria's educational crisis, driven by poverty and poor learning outcomes, and calls for media collaboration to promote digital learning and artificial intelligence in education. Oluwol Murtala Adekunle Jimoh, the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Education, lamented the exclusion of millions of children from formal education due to socio-economic and cultural challenges.