The Federal Government has warned that some Nigerian girls may be effectively dropping out of school despite remaining physically present in classrooms, as bullying, abuse and exclusion continue to affect their participation in learning.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, raised the concern on Monday in Abuja at a national workshop on safe learning environments, gender-responsive technology and ICT skills for educators.
Ahmad, represented by the Director of College of Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Uchenna Uba, said school attendance figures alone could no longer be used to determine whether children were benefiting from education.
She said some girls gradually withdrew from learning after being repeatedly ignored, ridiculed, bullied or made to feel unsafe in school.
“A girl does not always leave school on a day her name disappears from the register. Sometimes she leaves a little early while she is still sitting in the classroom,” Ahmad said.
She said the situation required schools to pay closer attention to children’s experiences and ensure that classrooms were safe and inclusive.
The minister cited UNICEF data showing that 74 per cent of children aged seven to 14 lacked basic reading and mathematics skills in 2024, saying the figures represented children whose educational needs required urgent attention.
Ahmad said the Federal Ministry of Education had introduced the National Policy on Anti-Bullying in Nigerian Schools and its implementation guidelines but stressed that their success would depend largely on teachers.
She urged teachers to identify bullying, respond appropriately to abuse reports and create an environment where pupils felt safe enough to seek help.
“Success, however, will be decided in schools and classrooms by whether a teacher recognises bullying, whether a child knows how to seek help, and whether the adults responsible respond with care and consistency,” she said.
The minister also said teachers needed better preparation to implement education policies effectively, particularly amid overcrowded classrooms, inadequate teaching materials and heavy workloads.
The workshop is training 45 master trainers from 15 teacher-training colleges in gender-responsive teaching, safe learning environments, prevention of school-related gender-based violence and digital teaching.
The master trainers are expected to pass the training on to about 500 teacher educators.
Ahmad commended Japan, through UNESCO, for supporting the 15 colleges with ICT equipment, urging the institutions to ensure the facilities were used to improve teacher preparation and classroom learning.
The Deputy Head of Mission at the Japanese Embassy in Nigeria, Kozaki Hitoshi, reaffirmed Japan’s support for education development in Nigeria, stressing that the impact of the intervention would depend on how beneficiary institutions used the equipment and skills provided.
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