Oyo State Faces Crisis with 670,000 Out-of-School Children

Stakeholders in Oyo State have raised alarms over the alarming number of over 670,000 out-of-school children, despite recent government interventions aimed at improving basic education. Folorunsho Moshood, the Program Director of Educare Trust, emphasized that while Oyo has made strides in expanding access to education, significant challenges remain, including high exclusion rates and infrastructural deficits.

According to the 2022/2023 annual school census, Oyo has the largest student population in South West Nigeria, yet it records the highest number of out-of-school children in the region. Moshood noted that only 20.1% of children aged 3-17 are enrolled in school, with approximately 674,324 children excluded.

He criticized the government's recent announcement of 60,000 children returning to school as a marginal gain against the overwhelming scale of the problem. Stakeholders called for urgent policy enforcement and better infrastructure to enhance learning outcomes, highlighting the need for qualified teachers, especially in rural areas, and addressing the lack of special education facilities.