Nigeria reports 5.2 million nomadic children are out of school

Approximately 5.2 million children from nomadic communities in Nigeria are currently out of school. According to Dr. Umar Ardo of the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE), the primary drivers of this exclusion are occupational mobility, climate change, and limited access to traditional schooling structures.

The affected population includes children of nomadic pastoralists, migrant fishermen, and migrant farmers whose lifestyles conflict with conventional academic schedules. Recent research by the NCNE identified over 61,000 out-of-school nomadic children across six states—Jigawa, Gombe, Niger, Enugu, Cross River, and Oyo—as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

To address this, the NCNE is advocating for alternative learning pathways, such as the Accelerated Basic Education Programme. This initiative aims to allow children to complete basic education in three years instead of six, providing equivalent outcomes for secondary school progression or vocational training. The commission is also collaborating with state governments, such as Kaduna, to establish learning centers closer to nomadic communities and provide vocational skills in sectors like livestock rearing, fishing, and farming.