Nigeria entered a new phase in its education journey with the rollout of the revised national curriculum in 2025. The reform reduces subject overload, streamlines content and expands practical learning pathways. It reflects a national commitment to strengthening foundational learning and preparing students for an increasingly complex world. This progress is meaningful and long-awaited. Yet it also exposes the next, a more difficult task. Reforming the curriculum is only the first step. Ensuring that the curriculum works for every child, including those with disabilities and those facing the harshest barriers to learning, is the real test that awaits in the year 2026.
The urgency is clear. UNICEF estimates that 18.3 million Nigerian children are out of school, the highest number in the world. One in three Nigerian children has no access to formal learning, and those who do attend often sit in classrooms without learning. More than seventy percent of ten-year-olds cannot read and understand a simple text. This level of learning poverty threatens national development, weakens the workforce pipeline and widens long-term inequality. Insecurity continues to disrupt schooling, particularly in the Northeast and Northwest, where repeated attacks have forced countless families to withdraw their children. Rising poverty, transportation costs and gender disparities further erode access to learning. The 2025 curriculum reform is an important foundation, but the country must now build a roadmap that addresses these deeper structural issues.
A key missing piece is the absence of a national framework for inclusive education. Children with disabilities, including those with Down syndrome, autism, intellectual disabilities and other developmental differences, still lack a curriculum designed to meet their unique ways of learning. Reducing subject load does not guarantee meaningful participation. True inclusion requires intentional design, adaptive teaching methods and system-wide support. As Nigeria designs its 2026 education goals, the country has a rare opportunity to place inclusive education at the centre of its reform agenda.
Countries that have made strong progress in special needs education did so by embedding inclusive practices directly into their curriculum structures. These include flexible pacing, simplified content for certain learners, visual and tactile instructional support, adapted assessments and accessible communication methods that allow children to learn in ways that fit their abilities. Nigeria's revised curriculum creates space for these developments, but real transformation depends on deliberate planning. Learners with disabilities require approaches tailored to how they process information. Children with Down syndrome often benefit from repetitive, visually supported lessons, while children with autism require structured routines and alternative communication pathways. These are not optional enhancements. They are essential components of an equitable curriculum.
Technology can accelerate progress. Low-cost digital tools that support text-to-speech, picture-based communication and interactive visual learning can help learners who struggle in traditional classrooms. Technology should complement teachers, not replace them, by offering multiple ways for students to access information and demonstrate understanding. An inclusive curriculum should also include life skills, communication skills, functional numeracy and daily living competencies that help learners develop independence and participate fully in their communities.
Teacher preparation remains central to achieving meaningful inclusion. No curriculum can succeed without educators who understand how to adapt instruction for diverse learners. Teacher training institutions and professional development programmes must strengthen their focus on inclusive pedagogy, behavioural support strategies and the use of assistive tools. Many Nigerian teachers have never received specialised training in these areas, limiting their ability to support learners with disabilities. When teachers are properly prepared, classrooms become environments where all children can thrive.
Infrastructure and financing must also align with this vision. Classrooms that support inclusion need visual schedules, quiet learning areas, tactile materials and communication boards that reduce frustration and help learners navigate their environment confidently. Financing mechanisms must be strengthened so that education funds reach the children who need them most. Each year, billions of naira in Universal Basic Education grants remain unaccessed because states do not provide the required counterpart funding. Transparent financial reporting and consistent oversight are essential for ensuring that investments translate into meaningful improvements.
The reforms introduced in 2025 provide a solid foundation for a more balanced and modern education system. The next step is to ensure that these reforms become truly inclusive. A national inclusive curriculum framework would guide schools on adapting lessons, modifying assessments, preparing teachers and supporting learners with disabilities. It would also ensure that reforms reach the children who experience insecurity, poverty and exclusion, not only those in well-resourced schools.
Nigeria is standing at a defining moment. If the country embeds inclusion into its 2026 education roadmap, the curriculum can become a powerful tool for reducing inequalities, improving learning outcomes and strengthening national development. A future-ready education system is one where every child, regardless of disability or circumstance, has the opportunity to learn, grow and contribute meaningfully to society. The choices made in 2026 will determine whether Nigeria builds an education system that uplifts all learners or continues to leave its most vulnerable children behind.