By Ayo Onikoyi

Nigeria faces a serious problem: too many children are out of school. In Oyo State alone, over 20% of kids are not enrolled in formal education.

Amid rising concerns over the high number of out-of-school children (OOSC) in Nigeria, Victoria Olohigocho Omachi, a Harvard-trained expert in education policy analysis, has presented comprehensive research to address this pressing issue, focusing on policies to improve school enrolment and education access in Nigeria.

While discussing her research, Omachi emphasized that eliminating hidden education costs – such as fees for uniforms, books, exams, and parent-teacher association (PTA) levies should be the primary policy focus. Omachi said this measure would significantly reduce the financial burden on economically disadvantaged families, thereby increasing school enrolment rates by 13% and improving grade advancement by 16%.

“Eliminating hidden costs is the most immediate and cost-effective solution,” Omachi explained. “It directly tackles one of the main educational barriers for many families. The administrative costs of implementing this policy are relatively low compared to the benefits.”

Omachi’s research evaluated two other policy alternatives: the ‘One Village, One School’ initiative and the expansion of the school feeding program. While the “One Village, One School” initiative would drastically improve access in rural areas by reducing barriers such as long distances to schools, it is a more financially demanding solution due to the high infrastructure development costs.

“Building a school in each village is vital for long-term improvements in education infrastructure,” Omachi noted. “However, the cost is considerably higher than other alternatives, making it a less immediately feasible option.”

While politically feasible and more popular, the school feeding program is a less compelling option and has been shown to have the smallest impact on school enrolment and reduce the number of out-of-school children. “Although feeding programs help mitigate food insecurity, they require steady funding. Also, food helps but does not get many kids into school or keep them there. It is just one piece of the puzzle,” Omachi said.

The paper Unlocking Futures: Policy Solutions to Address the Challenge of Out-of-School Children in Nigeria – Spotlight on Oyo State points to cutting hidden costs as the best first move. This affordable, high-impact policy could close the gap for out-of-school children faster than other options.

“This is about doing the most good for the greatest number of kids, and right now, this is the step that makes sense,” she said.

Although spotlighting Oyo state, the paper offers pragmatic recommendations for solving Nigeria’s urgent crisis of out-of-school children. Omachi believes removing hidden financial barriers is critical to getting more kids back in schools.