From:Femi Oyelola in Kaduna
The National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) has commenced a three-day capacity-building workshop to strengthen strategies to reduce the number of out-of-school nomadic children and youths across Nigeria through the Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP).
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, the Executive Secretary of NCNE, Prof. Bashiru Haruna Usman, explained that the workshop is designed to equip the Commission’s staff with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively implement ABEP as a key intervention to address the growing challenge of out-of-school children among nomadic populations.
Represented by Director of Extension Education and Skills Development at the Commission, Dr. Abdu Umar Ardo, Prof. Usman said the Commission is working closely with the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the Federal Ministry of Education, alongside critical stakeholders such as the Universal Basic Education Commission, the National Mass Education Commission, the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children, and the National Educational Research and Development Council.
The ABEP curriculum, developed by NERDC, according to him, adopts a condensed learning approach targeted at children aged 9 to 13 who either dropped out of school, never enrolled, or could not continue their education.
The Executive Secretary disclosed that Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children globally, with estimates ranging from 12 million by government sources to about 18 million according to development partners.
He added that within nomadic groups—comprising pastoralists, migrant fisherfolk, and migrant farmers—there are an estimated 5.5 million school-age children currently out of school.
At the same time, total enrollment under the Commission stands at about 1.5 million. He stressed that, with the population of nomadic communities increasing rapidly, the demand for education is growing exponentially, making urgent intervention necessary.
The Director of Administration of the National Commission for Nomadic Education, Bashir Muhammad Abbo, said the training comes at a period when the Federal Government is deeply concerned about the rising number of out-of-school children across the country.
According to him, although figures on out-of-school children vary, the Federal Government currently estimates the number at about 10.6 million, out of which approximately 5.5 million are from nomadic communities, including pastoralists, migrant farmers, and fisherfolk.
Mr. Abbo explained that the situation poses a serious concern for the Commission, which necessitated the conduct of a nationwide field data generation exercise in November last year to identify the scale, distribution, and causes of out-of-school children and youths within nomadic populations.
He noted that following the analysis of the data by consultants, the Commission is now focusing on capacity development of its staff on the Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP) as a strategic intervention to address the challenge.
The facilitator, Professor Aminu Abdu Bichi, stressed that evidence-based data remains critical to addressing the challenge of out-of-school children within nomadic communities in Nigeria.
He explained that under his technical guidance, the Commission conducted a comprehensive field data collection exercise across six states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, generating credible primary data on over 61,000 out-of-school children and youths from nomadic communities.
Professor Bichi said the data analysis revealed clear categories and drivers of out-of-school children, which will serve as the foundation for targeted and effective interventions. He added that cases of children with disabilities among the sampled population were marginal, accounting for less than one percent, further underscoring that the crisis is largely driven by access and retention challenges rather than special needs constraints.
Dr. Rose Nkechi Nwaji, Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at the National Commission for Nomadic Education, described ABEP as a critical reform introduced to respond to the growing challenges facing the nation’s education sector.
She explained that ABEP is a condensed basic education programme approved by the National Council on Education and formally introduced for implementation in 2022.
She noted that the programme has now become a long-term intervention to address educational gaps, particularly among out-of-school children.
According to her, frequent policy changes in the education sector over the years have affected stability, as successive ministers often introduce new roadmaps. However, she said ABEP stands out as a timely response to the deterioration in the education system, which has been worsened by insecurity across many parts of the country.
Dr. Nwaji linked the rising cases of banditry, crime, and other social vices to a lack of access to education, especially during the early developmental stages of children.
“In education, there are developmental stages that must be attended to at the right time. When these stages are missed, the consequences manifest later in life. Many of the insecurity challenges we face today are a result of children who were denied proper education,” she said.
She stressed that education empowers individuals to think critically and resist manipulation, adding that an educated person is less likely to be recruited into criminal activities.
Dr. Nwaji further explained that the Commission, which was established in 1989 and formally commissioned in 1990, has, over the decades, implemented several innovative programmes tailored to the nomadic way of life.
These include adapting curricula to reflect the environments, cultures, and daily realities of nomadic communities to encourage enrolment and retention.
She noted that these strategies have yielded positive results, with increased enrolment recorded over the years. However, she identified major operational challenges confronting the Commission.
“One of our key challenges is that we do not have teachers of our own. Teachers are employed and managed by state governments.
We cannot employ or disengage teachers; we can only collaborate with states and local governments to ensure that nomadic education is delivered,” she explained.
Despite these challenges, Dr. Nwaji expressed optimism that, with sustained collaboration, adequate capacity-building, and effective implementation of ABEP, the Commission will significantly reduce the number of out-of-school children and youths, especially within nomadic communities.
She called for continued support from all stakeholders, stressing that education remains a powerful tool for addressing insecurity and promoting national development.
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