The Tunani Initiative and the Path to Educational Reformation in Nigeria
Nigeria is at a crossroads, facing one of its most pressing challenges: the crisis of education. With the highest percentage of out of school children globally, the nation must find innovative solutions to rebuild its educational system. This was the focus of the Tunani Initiative’s recent event celebrating World Literacy Day 2025. Organized by young minds determined to address the country’s challenges, the event aimed to spark conversations on how to restore confidence in the future through quality education.
The importance of this effort cannot be overstated. A robust educational system is essential for fostering knowledge, skills, civic awareness, and critical thinking among the youth. It is also crucial for creating opportunities that can drive economic growth and social stability. However, Nigeria has long struggled with fulfilling its commitments to public education.
In 1973, during the reign of General Yakubu Gowon, a national pledge was made to ensure free, compulsory, and high-quality primary education for all Nigerian children born after the end of the civil war. This promise was later extended to nine years of basic education. Despite these promises, successive governments have failed to uphold their obligations, leading to the collapse of the public education sector.
Today, millions of children graduate from public primary schools, but the reality is far from ideal. The assumption that these students are adequately prepared for secondary education is misleading. The elite class often sends their children to private institutions, while the public system remains underfunded and neglected. As a result, many public schools have become breeding grounds for illiteracy and ignorance, contributing to societal issues such as violent extremism, mass kidnapping, and armed banditry.
This problem was highlighted by Bolaji Abdullahi, who, as Education Commissioner in Kwara State, conducted an assessment of primary school teachers in 2007. The results were alarming—only 75 out of 19,000 teachers passed the competency test. This situation reflects a systemic failure where students pass exams, but their teachers lack the necessary skills to teach effectively.
Kayode Fayemi’s political career was also affected by his proposal to implement teacher competency tests. His opponents used this as a tool to undermine his campaign, revealing the deep-rooted resistance to reform within the education sector.
The Tunani Initiative’s event on promoting literacy in the digital age took place at Rovingheights, a bookshop in Abuja known for its extensive collection on history, politics, economics, and faith. The discussions emphasized the need to move from traditional paper-based learning to digital tools that can accelerate education and make it more accessible.
An innovative solution supported by the African Union and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) involves the use of digital pens and books. These tools provide high-quality, learner-centered education regardless of literacy level, location, or language. When a pen touches text or images in a book, it reads the content aloud, accompanied by interactive games, quizzes, and translations. These resources are already being used in Abuja and Lagos to improve literacy, numeracy, health, and language skills.
The talking books are designed to assist semi-skilled or unskilled teachers while guiding students to learn simultaneously. They operate in the user’s native language, addressing both language barriers and quality concerns. For example, a Hausa-English book enables a Hausa-speaking child to learn English while improving their understanding of Hausa.
These tools follow the national curriculum and do not require internet access, making them highly practical for remote areas. According to the Federal Ministry of Education, 50% of in-school children are not learning due to poor literacy, and 84% of children in the lowest economic quartile cannot read at all. With over 13.2 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, the need for scalable solutions is urgent.
Initially, internet-based digital tools faced challenges due to cost and limited access. However, affordable devices now exist without the need for internet connectivity, as content is stored directly in the tools. Thanks to the Tunani Initiative, individuals like Maryam Ibrahim and Alhassan Pereira Ibrahim have brought attention to these transformative technologies.
