By Hajara Abdullahi
The United Nations has designated 24th January as the International Day of Education, a global event aimed at recognizing the role of education in promoting peace, development, and human dignity.
The day also provides an avenue for key stakeholders including policymakers, the media, and civil society organizations to advocate for increased funding and ensure that every child, woman, and other vulnerable groups worldwide have access to quality education.
UNESCO announced the 2026 theme as “The Power of Youths in Co-Creating Education,” underscoring the unique role young people play in ensuring equal access to education for all while promoting a knowledge- and skill-based society.
Youths, who represent more than half of the global population, are both contributors to and beneficiaries of educational systems. The establishment of the SDG 4 Youth Network by the United Nations has created a platform for young leaders to promote and champion Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) through partnerships with relevant stakeholders, a movement that is transforming narratives across the globe.
In developing countries like Nigeria, young people have a crucial role to play by actively participating in curriculum design to ensure the inclusion of emerging trends such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital literacy, and climate change.
At the community level, youths can operate through advocacy and pressure groups to encourage, motivate, and mentor the younger generation on the transformative impact of education especially for children, young people, and women.
Peer-to-peer learning also offers an avenue for young people to promote education access for all by engaging communities, holding leaders accountable, and ensuring that investments in education are effectively scaled up.
While the SDG 4 Youth Global Network continues to make progress, efforts must be intensified to achieve wider impact.
Government-led initiatives such as the Nigerian Education Sector Renewed Initiative (NESRI), TVET, AGILE, and LUMINAH 2030 are yielding positive outcomes. However, millions of Nigerian children still roam the streets due to poverty and ineffective policy implementation.
Education remains a powerful tool through which young people, women, and vulnerable groups can meaningfully contribute to national development, achieve gender equality, advance the Sustainable Development Goals, and break the cycle of poverty.
Therefore, Nigerian youths must continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders in co-creating and promoting education — a necessary step towards reforming classrooms, safeguarding Nigeria’s future, strengthening national unity, and unlocking the full potential of the next generation.