Former UNILAG VC Expresses Concern Over High Rate of Out-of-School Children in Nigeria
Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, voiced distress over Nigeria's significant number of out-of-school children during a keynote address at a colloquium honoring Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello of LASU.
Chris Oyeoku Okafor 
Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has raised alarm over the alarming rate of out-of-school children and educational disparities in Nigeria.
Addressing the issue during a keynote address titled "Education: A Vision For The Future" at the 60th birthday colloquium in honor of the 9th Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU), Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, Prof Ogundipe emphasized the urgent need for measures to reintegrate children back into the educational system.
Citing UNICEF data, Prof Ogundipe revealed that approximately 10.5 million children in Nigeria are currently out of school, despite primary education being officially free and compulsory. He highlighted the regional disparities, with the Northern regions having significantly higher rates of out-of-school children compared to the Southern regions.
The former VC expressed grave concern over the educational challenges facing Nigeria, particularly in states like Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Kebbi, Yobe, and Zamfara, where more than half of primary school-aged children lack access to formal education.
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Prof Ogundipe stressed the importance of education in national development and emphasized the need to align with global education trends and national educational goals as outlined in the National Policy of Education.
While commending LASU's VC, Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, for her leadership and infrastructure development efforts, Prof Ogundipe underscored the role of institutions like LASU in driving educational advancement and societal development.
In her response, Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello expressed optimism about the future of education, particularly with the integration of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). She praised Prof Ogundipe for his contributions to academia and thanked dignitaries for gracing the occasion.
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The event served as a platform to address critical educational issues and underscored the importance of collaborative efforts in addressing the challenges facing Nigeria's educational sector.
