Tunji Alausa has raised concerns over Nigeria’s worsening learning crisis, revealing that about three out of every four children at the basic education level cannot read and understand an age-appropriate text by the age of 10.
According to Punch on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, Alausa made the remarks at a digital learning resources roundtable in Abuja organised by the Federal Ministry of Education and the Universal Basic Education Commission.
“Learning poverty means that by the age of 10, a child cannot read and understand an age-appropriate text. In Nigeria today, three out of every four children are learning poor. That is simply unacceptable,” he said.
The minister called for urgent education reforms, urging wider adoption of digital learning platforms such as the Nigeria Learning Passport to improve literacy, address teacher shortages and expand access to quality lessons, particularly in remote areas.
Stakeholders attributed the learning crisis to poor infrastructure, insecurity, a shortage of qualified teachers and inadequate funding, while World Bank data cited at the meeting indicated that Nigeria remains among the countries with the highest levels of learning poverty globally.
