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A persistent crisis in foundational education is undermining Nigeria’s ambition to compete in a knowledge-driven global economy.
As the country’s examination results continue to show alarming failure rates in core subjects such as English and Mathematics, the ripple effects are beginning to show in Nigeria’s human capital development.
These subjects, critical for communication, logic, and problem-solving, form the bedrock of employability and innovation.
Hitherto, every year, thousands of young Nigerians leave the school system without the basic competencies required to thrive in a modern workforce.
This educational gap raises urgent questions about the sustainability of Nigeria’s economic future.
In a space of three years, the students’ failure rate of English Language and Mathematics is at an average of 59.13 percent, BusinessDay’s finding shows.
In the 2022/23 West African Examination Council (WAEC) private candidates’ examination, recorded 58 percent failure including English and Mathematics, while in 2023/24 of the same examination, the failure rate was 46.36 percent failure and in the 2024/25 edition, it was 73.04 percent.
The persistent decline in the pass rate of English and Mathematics is seen as a clog in the development of Nigeria’s human capital.
Read also: JAMB now WAEC: As our education sinks deeper into a cesspit
In the face of this disturbing development, the Lagos State government raised an alarm over the 26,000 students from the state who failed the 2024 WASSCE.
According to the report by WAEC, only 45.7 percent of the 58,188 students from the state’s public schools who sat for the examinations passed.
Nubi Achebo, director of academic planning at Nigerian University of Technology and Management (NUTM) said the high failure rates suggest many students are not meeting the expected standards in core subjects such as Mathematics and English.
Some of the reasons identified as contributing to the decline in educational standards include inadequate funding, ineffective implementation of educational policies and programmes, and a lack of commitment to schoolwork.
Foundational education crisis
The crisis in Nigeria’s foundational education system requires a multi-faceted approach involving increased investment, improved infrastructure, better teacher training, and a focus on foundational skills to ensure every child has access to quality education.
Without strong foundational skills, children are ill-prepared for the complexities of life and the demands of the modern economy.
Literacy and numeracy are the bedrock upon which all other learning is built. These essential skills are necessary for children to effectively engage with more advanced subjects and develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Poor education budgeting
Nigeria’s budgetary allocation to education over the years dangles below 10 percent of the total expenditure. From 2015 to 2025, the education budget has been nose-diving from 10.75 percent to just 5.47 percent of the national budget.
According to UNESCO, between 15 percent and 20 percent of a country’s annual budget should be allocated to education. However, Nigeria has consistently fallen short of this benchmark, with education allocations hovering below eight percent in most of the last 10 years.
President Bola Tinubu, in 2025, earmarked N3.5 trillion for education, but the figures for the 2024 budget indicate that only N1.59 trillion, just 5.5 percent of the N28.77 trillion budget, was allocated to education.
Read also: Why Nigeria must embrace critical thinking and problem-solving in education
How education fuels human capital development
Education is a cornerstone of human capital development, enhancing individuals’ knowledge, skills, and capabilities, which in turn boosts productivity, innovation, and overall economic growth.
By providing individuals with the tools to learn, adapt, and create, education empowers them to contribute more effectively to the economy and society.
Research has shown that poor learning outcomes significantly hinder human capital development by limiting an individual’s ability to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies for personal and professional growth.
According to a World Bank report, Nigeria’s Human Capital Index (HCI) in 2020 was 0.36. This score indicates that a child born in Nigeria in 2020 will likely grow up to achieve only 36 percent of the productivity they could have achieved with quality education and full health.
Stakeholders express worries that these half-baked youngsters would one day become doctors, lawyers, engineers, and professionals of tomorrow.
Unemployable graduates
Experts express concerns that the current education system may not be adequately preparing students for the demands of the 21st-century job market, which requires skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy.
“The curriculum and teaching methods need to be revised to ensure they are relevant to the needs of the modern workforce,” they say.
Jessica Osuere, the chief executive officer at RubiesHub Educational Services, said, “The major reason for graduates’ unemployability is the fact that our education system is unnecessarily certificate-based with more emphasis on theories than practical.”
Solution
Christopher Itua, head of industrial services and development at the Institute for Industrial Technology (IIT), calls for a system that integrates classroom instruction with on-the-job training, which ensures that students gain both the theoretical foundation and practical experience needed to succeed in the workforce.
