FG concerned as 24 million pupils drop out before reaching senior secondary school

FG concerned as 24 million pupils drop out before reaching senior secondary school

The Federal Government has expressed concern over the high rate of school dropouts across the country. 

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, revealed on Thursday, Oct. 23, that about 24 million pupils who enrolled in primary schools failed to advance to senior secondary level. 

Speaking in Abuja during a ministerial roundtable on zero-rated data and devices for Nigerian teachers, Alausa said data from the digitised Nigeria Education Management Information System (NEMIS) platform showed that out of 30 million pupils captured from 21 states, only six million progressed to senior secondary school. 

According to him, statistics from NEMIS reveal a disturbing trend that poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s educational development and long-term human capital growth. 

“The information we’re seeing on that digital platform is scary,” Alausa said. 

“From the 21 states that have uploaded their data, we have about 30 million children in primary schools. 

“From primary to Junior Secondary School (JSS 1), that number drops to 10 millionâ€"20 million children gone. 

“We can’t find them. Then, from Junior Secondary to Senior Secondary, another four million disappear. It’s scary. But now that we can see the data, we can start looking at evidence-based interventions and monitor outcomes.” 

He stressed that the high dropout rate between primary and senior secondary levels underscores the need for targeted interventions to retain children in school, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Alausa explained that the biometrics of every schoolchild are being uploaded onto NEMIS, a digitised platform, to enable tracking and data-driven policy implementation. He added that beginning from 2026, the annual school census will be fully digital. 

“It’s not manual anymore. Paper will be taken out completely,” he stated, noting that the Ministry plans to integrate West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) data into the system. 

He expressed appreciation to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for its technical support and to President Bola Tinubu for providing financial and political backing for the initiative