By Iroyin Yoruba Television
The Federal Government has warned that some Nigerian girls may be effectively dropping out of education long before their names disappear from school registers, urging teachers and education authorities to pay greater attention to children who remain physically present but become increasingly disconnected from learning.
The warning was issued on Monday, October 5, by the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa'id Ahmad, during a National Trainers' Workshop on Safe Learning Environment, Gender-Responsive Technology and ICT Skills for Educators in Teacher Training Institutions in Nigeria.
The minister said physical attendance could no longer be treated as sufficient evidence that a child was benefiting from education.
According to her, a girl may continue to attend school every day while gradually withdrawing emotionally, socially and academically because she is bullied, ridiculed, ignored, excluded or made to feel unsafe.
The warning introduces a different way of looking at school dropout in Nigeria.
Traditionally, dropout is often measured by whether a child stops attending school altogether. The Federal Government is now drawing attention to children who remain in classrooms but are no longer meaningfully participating in education.
The issue is particularly important for girls, who can face additional barriers related to safety, discrimination, abuse, social expectations and other pressures that may affect their ability to participate fully in school.
WHEN ATTENDANCE DOES NOT MEAN LEARNING
Ahmad said a child sitting inside a classroom should not automatically be interpreted as a child receiving an effective education.
A pupil may attend school regularly but stop participating in lessons.
She may become reluctant to raise her hand, avoid speaking because of ridicule or stop asking questions because previous attempts were ignored.
Over time, such experiences can affect confidence and academic performance.
The minister described this as an “invisible dropout” problem because the child remains on the school's register even though the educational connection is gradually weakening.
This distinction matters because official enrolment and attendance figures can create the impression that a child is successfully participating in education.
If schools do not examine engagement, learning and emotional wellbeing, however, some children may be missed until the consequences become more serious.
BULLYING CAN PUSH CHILDREN AWAY FROM LEARNING
Bullying was identified as one of the factors that can gradually disconnect pupils from education.
Bullying can take different forms, including insults, ridicule, intimidation, physical aggression and social exclusion.
For a child experiencing repeated bullying, the classroom can become a place associated with fear rather than learning.
A pupil may begin avoiding participation or develop anxiety about speaking in front of classmates.
In more serious cases, the child may begin looking for ways to avoid school altogether.
The Federal Government's warning therefore places responsibility on teachers and other school personnel to identify bullying early.
Teachers are often among the adults best positioned to notice changes in a child's behaviour because they see pupils regularly.
A child who was once active in class but suddenly becomes withdrawn may require attention.
THE DANGER OF SILENT EXCLUSION
Exclusion does not always happen through an official decision.
A pupil can feel excluded because classmates repeatedly ignore her, because teachers fail to give her opportunities to participate or because she believes her opinions are not valued.
For girls, exclusion can also occur through gender stereotypes that influence expectations about what they can achieve.
When children repeatedly receive the message that their contributions do not matter, their motivation can decline.
The Federal Government wants teacher training to address these less visible barriers.
The goal is to create classrooms where pupils are not simply present but are encouraged to participate and learn.
ABUSE AND UNSAFE ENVIRONMENTS
The government also highlighted abuse and unsafe learning environments as factors that can undermine education.
A child who does not feel safe may find it difficult to concentrate on lessons.
Fear can affect attendance, participation and academic performance.
Schools therefore have responsibilities that extend beyond delivering the curriculum.
They must also provide systems through which children can report concerns and seek assistance.
Teachers and other school staff need to know how to respond when a child reports bullying, harassment or abuse.
A failure to respond appropriately can reinforce the child's belief that no adult can protect her.
NATIONAL ANTI-BULLYING POLICY
The Federal Ministry of Education has introduced the National Policy on Anti-Bullying in Nigerian Schools and accompanying implementation guidelines.
Ahmad said the policy provides a framework for addressing bullying but stressed that its success will depend on what happens inside individual schools.
A policy document alone cannot prevent bullying.
Teachers must understand how to identify it, school administrators must respond consistently, and pupils need to know where they can seek help.
Parents and guardians also have roles to play in recognising behavioural changes that may indicate that a child is experiencing problems at school.
The effectiveness of anti-bullying measures will therefore depend on cooperation among several groups.
TEACHER TRAINING AT THE CENTRE OF THE RESPONSE
The National Trainers' Workshop was organised to strengthen the ability of educators to create safer and more inclusive learning environments.
Forty-five master trainers from 15 teacher-training colleges are participating in the programme.
They are being trained in areas including gender-responsive pedagogy, safe learning environments, prevention and response to school-related gender-based violence and digital teaching.
The master trainers are expected to transfer the knowledge gained to approximately 500 teacher educators.
Those teacher educators can then incorporate the approaches into the preparation of future teachers.
This creates a multiplier effect.
Rather than training individual teachers one at a time, the programme seeks to strengthen the institutions responsible for preparing large numbers of educators.
GENDER-RESPONSIVE EDUCATION
Gender-responsive teaching recognises that boys and girls can experience different challenges within education.
Teachers need to understand how classroom practices can unintentionally favour one group or discourage another.
For girls, this can include unequal participation, gender-based bullying, stereotypes about subjects and careers, or social pressures that affect their education.
Gender-responsive pedagogy seeks to ensure that teaching methods and classroom environments allow all learners to participate meaningfully.
The objective is not simply to increase the number of girls enrolled in school but to ensure that they have genuine opportunities to learn and progress.
NIGERIA'S LEARNING CRISIS
The Federal Government's warning comes against the background of a wider learning crisis.
Ahmad cited UNICEF data indicating that 74 per cent of Nigerian children between seven and 14 lacked basic reading and mathematics skills in 2024.
The figure illustrates the difference between being enrolled in school and actually acquiring essential learning skills.
A child can spend years in education without achieving the expected level of literacy or numeracy.
This means that increasing enrolment alone cannot solve Nigeria's education challenges.
Schools also need to ensure that children understand what they are being taught and receive additional support when they fall behind.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY IDENTIFICATION
One of the key implications of the government's warning is the need to identify problems before they become irreversible.
A pupil who becomes withdrawn may not immediately be classified as a dropout.
However, the withdrawal could be an early indication of a larger problem.
Teachers can play an important role by paying attention to changes in participation and behaviour.
A child who suddenly stops contributing in class, avoids classmates or appears persistently anxious may require support.
Early intervention can provide an opportunity to address the underlying issue before it results in prolonged disengagement or eventual withdrawal from school.
TEACHERS ALSO FACE DIFFICULT CONDITIONS
The government acknowledged that teachers themselves work under challenging circumstances.
Overcrowded classrooms, inadequate teaching materials and heavy workloads can make it difficult for teachers to provide individual attention to every pupil.
When one teacher is responsible for a large number of students, identifying subtle changes in a child's behaviour becomes more difficult.
This is why the government said teachers must be adequately prepared and supported.
Expecting teachers to implement anti-bullying and child-protection policies without giving them sufficient training and resources could limit the effectiveness of those policies.
ICT AND TEACHER PREPARATION
The workshop also focuses on ICT skills and gender-responsive technology.
Digital tools are increasingly becoming part of education, but teachers need appropriate training to use them effectively.
Technology can provide new opportunities for learning and communication.
It can also create new risks.
Cyberbullying, online harassment and inappropriate digital content can affect students beyond the physical classroom.
Teachers therefore need to understand both the educational opportunities and the risks associated with digital learning environments.
JAPAN AND UNESCO SUPPORT
The Federal Government acknowledged support from Japan, through UNESCO, for the 15 teacher-training colleges participating in the programme.
The institutions have received ICT equipment intended to strengthen teacher preparation.
The Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Nigeria, Kozaki Hitoshi, said Japan's support was based on collaboration and local ownership.
He stressed that the value of the intervention would ultimately depend on how the beneficiary institutions used the equipment and knowledge to improve teacher preparation and expand learning opportunities.
This places responsibility on the institutions receiving the equipment to ensure that it becomes part of everyday teacher training rather than remaining unused.
EQUIPMENT ALONE WILL NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM
The government has cautioned against treating the distribution of ICT equipment as an end in itself.
Technology can support education, but it cannot replace effective teachers or solve problems such as bullying and exclusion by itself.
Equipment becomes useful when educators know how to integrate it into teaching.
Teacher-training institutions therefore need to develop practical programmes that allow educators to practise using the technology.
The same principle applies to safe-learning policies.
Teachers must be given opportunities to practise responding to realistic classroom situations.
THE ROLE OF TEACHER EDUCATORS
The approximately 500 teacher educators expected to receive the training from the master trainers will play an important role in extending the initiative.
Teacher educators train the next generation of teachers.
If they incorporate gender-responsive pedagogy and safe-learning practices into their programmes, newly qualified teachers can enter classrooms with greater awareness of issues affecting pupils.
This could produce long-term benefits because each generation of teachers would carry the practices into schools.
The approach therefore focuses on strengthening the foundation of teacher preparation rather than relying solely on short-term awareness campaigns.
WHAT A SAFE CLASSROOM SHOULD PROVIDE
A safe classroom should provide more than physical protection.
Students should feel able to ask questions without being ridiculed.
They should be able to report bullying or abuse and expect an appropriate response.
Teachers should be able to manage classroom disagreements without humiliating pupils.
Students should also feel that their backgrounds, abilities and contributions are respected.
Such an environment can improve participation and create conditions in which children are more willing to learn.
THE PARENTS' ROLE
Parents and guardians also have a role in identifying invisible disengagement.
A child may not always directly explain that she is being bullied or feels unsafe.
Changes in behaviour at home can sometimes provide clues.
Parents can pay attention to sudden reluctance to attend school, declining interest in schoolwork, changes in friendships or unusual emotional distress.
When concerns arise, communication with teachers and school administrators can help identify the problem.
The responsibility for protecting children should therefore be shared between schools, families and relevant government institutions.
MEASURING MORE THAN ENROLMENT
The Federal Government's warning suggests that Nigeria needs broader measures for evaluating educational success.
Enrolment figures are important because children cannot learn if they are excluded from school.
But enrolment should be followed by measures of attendance, participation, learning outcomes, safety and wellbeing.
A school system that increases enrolment but allows large numbers of children to become disengaged still faces a serious education problem.
Monitoring these different dimensions can help education authorities identify where interventions are needed.
WHY GIRLS REQUIRE PARTICULAR ATTENTION
Girls can face specific pressures that influence their educational participation.
These can include gender-based violence, early marriage, domestic responsibilities, discriminatory expectations and unsafe school environments.
Not every girl experiences these challenges, but education systems need safeguards for those who do.
Keeping girls engaged in education has wider social and economic benefits.
Education can improve employment opportunities, economic independence and participation in community life.
Ensuring that girls remain meaningfully engaged in learning is therefore not only an education objective but also part of broader development.
IMPLEMENTATION WILL DETERMINE SUCCESS
The workshop's success will ultimately depend on what happens after participants return to their institutions.
The master trainers have been asked to replicate the training and give colleagues opportunities to practise the approaches.
Monitoring will also be necessary to determine whether the new practices actually affect teacher behaviour and student experiences.
Without follow-up, workshops can become isolated events with limited long-term impact.
The government will therefore need to maintain communication with the participating colleges and assess progress.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The 45 master trainers are expected to take the knowledge from the Abuja workshop to their respective institutions.
The approximately 500 teacher educators they train will then be able to introduce the approaches to student teachers.
The Federal Ministry of Education will also need to continue implementing the National Policy on Anti-Bullying and its guidelines.
Schools will remain the critical point of implementation.
That is where teachers will have to recognise bullying, respond to abuse, encourage participation and ensure that children know how to seek help.
CONCLUSION
The Federal Government's warning about “invisible dropouts” has highlighted an aspect of Nigeria's education crisis that cannot be measured simply by counting how many children remain on school registers.
A girl can attend school every day and still gradually lose her connection with education.
Bullying, ridicule, abuse, exclusion and unsafe learning environments can cause children to withdraw emotionally and academically even when their physical attendance continues.
The government is responding through teacher training, the National Policy on Anti-Bullying, gender-responsive pedagogy and efforts to strengthen safe learning environments.
The training of 45 master trainers from 15 teacher-training colleges, with plans to reach about 500 teacher educators, is designed to create a wider network of educators capable of applying these approaches.
Support from Japan through UNESCO, including ICT equipment for the beneficiary institutions, adds a technology component to the initiative.
But the most important part of the response will happen inside classrooms.
Teachers must be able to recognise when a child is struggling, respond appropriately when bullying or abuse is reported and create an environment where pupils feel safe enough to participate.
Schools must also look beyond attendance records and ask whether children are actually learning, participating and feeling included.
For girls in particular, preventing educational disengagement requires more than keeping them physically inside school gates.
It requires classrooms where they can speak, ask questions, make mistakes, receive support and feel protected.
Nigeria's education system therefore faces a broader challenge than increasing enrolment.
It must ensure that children who enter school remain connected to learning.
The Federal Government's “invisible dropout” warning is a reminder that some of the children most at risk may not be absent at all.
They may already be sitting quietly in classrooms, waiting for an adult to notice that they are no longer truly part of the learning process.