By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
Stakeholders in the basic education sector have noted that despite efforts by the Oyo State government to expand access to basic education and modernise classrooms, the state is still confronted by a learning crisis and high exclusion rates.
This was the submission of stakeholders at the presentation of a report on the current state of basic education in Oyo State by Educare TRUST and Civil Society Action Coalition on Education For All (CSACEFA), Oyo State Chapter, on Thursday, March 27, in Ibadan.
Alhaji Iskil Yusuf, a member of the Caretaker Committee of CSACEFA Oyo State, who presented the report, noted that the current state of basic education in the state shows both significant progress and persistent challenges, including poor infrastructure, low retention, transition, and completion rates, leading to a high number of out-of-school children in the state, among others.
The report cited the 2022/2023 Annual School Census (ACS) Report by the Oyo State Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), which shows that Oyo State has over 2,503 public primary schools, 602 public junior secondary schools, 585 public secondary schools, and 7,283 private schools.
It said these schools cover 2,000,238 pupils in the public primary schools, 279,553 students in the public junior secondary schools, 240,393 students in the public senior secondary schools, and 568,753 students in the private schools.
The report, however, noted that despite having one of the largest student populations in the Southwest, second to Lagos State, Oyo State records the highest number of out-of-school children in the region.
It stated that a 2022 report cited by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) 2024 studies indicated that 20.1 percent of children in Oyo State were out of school, with higher rates in rural areas, making it the highest in Southwest Nigeria.
The report noted that this translates to around 674,324 children out of a total of 3,351,969 children aged 3-17 years, adding that the reasons for the high rate of out-of-school children recorded in the state include poverty, distance, hidden access costs, and lack of interest in education.
On the availability of special schools, facilities, and specialised teachers in the state for learners with disabilities, the coalition observed that these were significantly inadequate.
“We observed that there are grossly inadequate special schools in Oyo State, and those in existence lack specialised teachers and facilities. The number of PWDs in primary and secondary schools in Oyo State is approximately 3,139 learners. The state has 37 special needs schools. Teacher distribution remains uneven, with rural schools often underserved – qualified teachers do not want to be deployed or posted to rural areas,” it stated.
The report further noted that infrastructural were largely inadequate, including non-functional libraries; inadequate sporting facilities; an inadequate number of usable classrooms, toilets, and WASH facilities; and access to computers and internet facilities for learning.
The coalition also commended the Oyo State government for making a lodgement of N3,554,642,584.46 on February 12, 2026, being its counterpart funds to access the UBEC 2024 grants, covering the first to fourth quarters of 2026, noting that the state needs over N6 billion to attend to the yearning needs of basic education in the state.
It also applauded reforms recently introduced by the government aimed at improving access and quality, including classroom renovations and provision of furniture; distributing smartphones and integrating ICT tools to strengthen literacy and numeracy; and teacher recruitment and training through TESCOM to expand the workforce.
“Oyo State has made strides in expanding access to basic education and modernising classrooms, yet faces a learning crisis and high exclusion rates. Addressing these issues requires not only government action but also collective efforts from communities, development partners, and civil society to ensure that every child has access to quality education and an opportunity to learn and thrive,” Alhaji Yusuf concluded.
In his submission, Folorunsho Moshood, Programme Director, Educare Trust and Coordinator, CSACEFA Caretaker Committee, decried the persisting challenge of enrolment of Almajiri and out-of-school children in the state.
He said the National Commission on Almajiri and Out-Of-School Children Education (NCAOOSCE) did a mop-up exercise nationwide, including Oyo State, between June 22 and July 17, 2025, intending to take the Almajiris and OOSC out of the streets for the purpose of enrolling them in schools.
Moshood, however, noted that only a total of 7,768 OOSC were captured, representing 29 percent of the target of 27,000 OOSC given to Oyo State field workers, while enrolment has stalled.
He said, “Till today, the second phase (enrolment) has not started. We did not get any concrete reason(s) why it has not started as proposed. This must have killed the enthusiasm of parents and community members who had hoped that their wards/children would be in school soon.
“This has also destroyed the fragile trust that existed between the field officers and the parents of OOSC, whose data had been captured. Our members can no longer walk freely in those communities where they carried out the first phase of the exercise.”
