Is the Health Security of Children Assured in Nigerian Schools? Assessment of Urban Schools’ Responses to the Health Needs of Schoolchildren

This paper shares findings from a CHORUS Innovation Fund project that assessed the readiness of schools in responding to the health needs of schoolchildren in alignment with the World Health Organisation’s vision of making schools health-promoting.  A mixed-method cross-sectional study was conducted in two selected urban areas in Nigeria, comparing a well-off urban area (formal settlement) with an urban slum (informal settlement). Data were collected through interviewer-administered questionnaires from schoolchildren and teachers across 20 schools, as well as focus group discussions and in-depth interviews involved caregivers, policymakers, teachers, and students.

Analysis revealed a reported a lack of qualified healthcare personnel in their schools, however first aid services were routine. Children in informal settlements were five times more likely to be sent home when sick, and children in public schools were eight times more likely to be sent home when ill than those in private schools.

These findings confirm the low prioritisation of health services in schools and contrast with the WHO’s health-promoting school vision and existing policies on school health and children’s health rights in Nigeria. They highlight threats to schoolchildren’s health security and call for urgent responses, including the revitalisation of school health frameworks and the enforcement of a combination of school-based and school-linked health services.

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Agu IC, Agwu P, Obi C, Orjiakor C, Mbachu C, Hutchinson E, Oreh A, Okoye U, Onwujekwe O. Is the Health Security of Children Assured in Nigerian Schools? Assessment of Urban Schools’ Responses to the Health Needs of Schoolchildren. Child Care Health Dev. 2026 Mar;52(2):e70247. doi: 10.1111/cch.70247. PMID: 41715988.