UBEC Reports Only 35.6% of Nigerian Children Aged 36‑59 Months Enrolled in Early Childhood Education

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) says just 35.6 percent of Nigerian children between 36 and 59 months are currently enrolled in any form of Early Childhood Care, Development and Education (ECCDE), leaving roughly ten million young children outside the system.

UBEC disclosed the low enrollment figure during a three‑day workshop on ECCDE Minimum Standards and Implementation Guidelines held in Abuja.

The commission’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Aisha Garba, warned that the poor participation is linked to weak learning outcomes and high dropout rates in basic education. According to the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, 46 percent of children aged 24 to 59 months are developmentally off‑track, while 70 percent of ten‑year‑olds cannot read and understand a simple text. Of the 5.9 million children entering primary one each year, only about 2.4 million remain in school by the end of junior secondary school.

Dr. Garba highlighted the economic impact of early learning, citing research that high‑quality birth‑to‑five programmes generate about a 13 percent annual return per child.

She urged states to integrate ECCDE into their State Matching Grant Action Plans, noting that any initiative not included will not receive funding.

The submission deadline for ECCDE Action Plans has been extended from 30 September to 5 October 2026, though late entries will be rejected. States were directed to ensure that ECCDE centres meet minimum standards for child safety, supervision, safeguarding, food and water safety, and emergency exits, and to include children with disabilities and those in nomadic, riverine, hard‑to‑reach and conflict‑affected communities.

Acting Director of Special Programmes and Early Childhood at UBEC, Dr. Chijioke J. Onwuzurike, said Nigeria operates over 45 early childhood delivery channels across health, nutrition, education, agriculture and social protection, but these efforts are fragmented and duplicated.

She called for states to map and streamline their platforms within the next 18 months and establish functional multi‑sectoral coordination, emphasizing that school readiness is largely determined before a child reaches the primary school gate.

UNICEF Education Specialist Yetunde Oluwatosin stressed that getting early childhood education right is essential to tackling Nigeria’s out‑of‑school challenge. She noted that UNICEF has supported the government in developing ECCD policy, minimum standards and curriculum benchmarks aligned with global standards.