The Federal Government has announced plans to reintegrate more than one million out-of-school children into Nigeria’s formal education system.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday during the 69th National Council on Education Summit held in Akure, Ondo State. The summit was themed “Quality Education Data and Professionalisation of Teaching: Tools for Enhanced National Development.”
Alausa explained that the initiative, in collaboration with the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, aims to identify, map, and document children from 12,600 communities across the country.
According to him, the programme targets children aged seven to nine years, who will be enrolled in low-cost private schools and training centres nationwide.
> “The ministry, in fulfilment of its mandate, set up a task force comprising the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, the National Commission for Nomadic Education, and the National Commission for Mass Literacy and Non-Formal Education to document the extent of the problem,” Alausa said.
He added that with support from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the task force has already mapped out over one million children for reintegration.
So far, 21,000 out-of-school children have been identified across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and handed over to the FCT Education Secretariat for enrolment. The ministry has also established 109 functional learning centres and transit schools across all 36 states and the FCT, enrolling 15,224 learners to date.
In his remarks, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa described education as the most powerful tool for social mobility, national unity, and sustainable development.
> “Our goal is to make education not just accessible but meaningful and transformative. Every child in Ondo State deserves a fair chance at learning and success,” Aiyedatiwa said.
He also commended President Bola Tinubu for ongoing education reforms, particularly the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, which has supported over 624,000 students across the country.
In September, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) partnered with UNICEF to develop a framework of action to tackle the out-of-school crisis, describing the enrolment drive as one of the key strategies to curb the challenge.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.