SOS Children’s Villages Seek Youth Inclusion In Education Reforms

As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the 2026 International Day of Education, SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria has urged the government and other stakeholders to place young people at the centre of education planning.

It warned that infrastructure expansion alone would not resolve the country’s education challenges.

In a statement signed by its national director, Eghosa Erhumwunse, the organisation said that despite recorded progress in expanding access to education, reviewing curricula, strengthening teacher training and improving learning infrastructure, millions of Nigerian children remain out of school, while many others learn in overcrowded and under-resourced classrooms.

The group noted that sustained investments in school reconstruction, provision of learning materials, improved water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, as well as teacher retraining, remain critical, but stressed that infrastructure without relevance and inclusion limits learning outcomes.

According to the organisation, education systems that fail to integrate the ideas, experiences and creativity of young people risk becoming disconnected from real-life challenges, particularly in a country with one of the world’s largest youth populations.

It said global evidence shows that youth participation in curriculum design, peer learning, youth-led research and advisory roles improves learning outcomes and deepens ownership, adding that achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 would require embedding youth leadership into education reforms.

SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria disclosed that it is implementing youth-led education initiatives through its Eco Champions programme, which supports young people to design community-based solutions alongside investments in safe learning spaces, teacher capacity development and access to essential learning resources.

One such initiative, the Eco Sustainable Future project in Calabar, led to the development of a Climate Playbook aimed at bridging the gap between climate education and practical action.

The organisation said 400 copies of the playbook were produced, with 360 distributed to students across eight secondary schools, while 40 copies were donated to school libraries.