By Mustapha Salisu
EduReach, an online educational ecosystem delivering both Nigerian and Cambridge curricula for primary and secondary students, has announced a two-year full scholarship for all students rescued from the recent abductions in Kebbi and Niger States.
Addressing a press briefing, the Founder of STEM-EduReach and CEO of STEM Child Care Academy, Mamu Alhaji Muhammad, said he felt a profound sense of duty as an educationist committed to ensuring that every child regardless of circumstance has access to quality education and the opportunity to thrive.
He lamented that education in Nigeria is currently under attack, describing terrorism as a “hydra-headed monster” threatening the future of Nigerian children.
He said the recent abductions of students in Kebbi and Niger States have led to the closure of several schools across northern Nigeria, further complicating an already fragile education system plagued by outdated curricula, inadequate teacher supply, poor infrastructure, and insufficient instructional materials.
“We have started with Niger and Kebbi state, even though it is a commercial software meant for each and every Nigerian to purchase. But yet we are looking for ways and means to help the Almajiris. Very soon we will contact the National Commission for Almajiris and out-of-school of children and probably offer them some scholarship as well as some IDP camps” Muhammad stated.
He disclosed that Nigeria currently has only about 350,000 teachers serving 46 million students at the basic and senior secondary levels, resulting in a student–teacher ratio of roughly 130:1, far above the global benchmark of 20:1.
Muhammad added that the teacher attrition rate stands at around 20 percent, with nearly half of the country’s teachers unqualified. Even in areas where infrastructure or materials exist, he noted, qualified personnel are often unavailable to utilize them effectively.
He also identified harmful cultural practices such as early marriage and teenage pregnancy, coupled with structural challenges like poverty, as factors that continue to weaken the education sector.
According to him, the abduction of schoolchildren threatens to increase the number of out-of-school children, as these acts of terror are designed to instil fear and discourage parents from sending their children to school.
Muhammad warned that prolonged insecurity has already deprived hundreds of thousands of children across northern Nigeria of their right to basic education. Even for those rescued, he said, the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) poses a serious threat to their ability to return to learning.
He emphasized the shared responsibility of all Nigerians to support the affected children as they heal and rebuild their confidence. In view of this, he announced that EduReach would offer a two-year full scholarship to all rescued students of the Kebbi and Niger abductions.
EduReach, he explained, offers innovative digital learning experiences that include STEM subjects such as robotics, coding, and artificial intelligence (AI). “The platform provides pre-recorded lessons by experienced educators, comprehensive lesson notes, quizzes, assignments, and live discussion forums designed to create personalized learning pathways for each student” He stressed.
Muhammad further revealed that the organization has written to the respective state governments to formally extend the offer as part of EduReach’s contribution to the students’ recovery and reintegration into learning.
He called on all stakeholders to join hands in confronting the challenges that have long plagued Nigeria’s education sector, stressing that no child should be denied the right to safe, equitable, and quality education.
“No child should be denied the right to safe, equitable, and quality education” Muhammad Stressed.