75% of Nigerian Children Cannot Read by Age 10

The Federal Ministry of Education revealed that three out of four Nigerian children at the basic education level are unable to read and understand appropriate texts by age 10. Dr. Olatunji Alausa disclosed this alarming statistic during a meeting in Abuja, which included officials from the Federal Ministry of Education and the Universal Basic Education Commission.

He described the situation as unacceptable and warned that Nigeria must urgently embrace technology-driven learning to reverse this trend. Alausa highlighted that the current learning poverty means that 10-year-old children cannot read, which he termed as a disturbing statistic underscoring the need for educational transformation.

He urged state governments to fully utilize digital learning platforms developed by the federal government, such as the Nigeria Learning Passport, which currently has only 2-3 million users compared to an estimated 67 million learners in Nigeria. Dr. Aisha Garba, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, emphasized the importance of establishing digital learning resource centers nationwide to enhance access to technology-driven education.