Lagos begins unique ID registration for public, private school students

The Lagos State Government has commenced plans to assign unique identification numbers to students in public and private schools across the state as part of efforts to strengthen identity registration and improve education data management.

A statement by the Lagos State Government said the initiative is the result of a partnership between the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) and the Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA).

The collaboration was unveiled during a stakeholders’ engagement held at the Office of Education Quality Assurance in Alausa, Ikeja. The meeting was attended by representatives of the education sector, heads of school associations under OEQA, key stakeholders, and officials of both agencies.

Speaking at the meeting, the General Manager of LASRRA, Mrs. Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, said the engagement was organised to meet separately with representatives of public and private schools to ensure the smooth rollout of the student identification exercise.

She explained that the main objective is to capture LASRRA identification numbers for all students across Lagos State.

According to her, having a LASRRA number is already a requirement for enrolment in public schools in the state. She added that the current exercise is aimed at improving the existing system through the use of technology and closer collaboration with education districts.

“For public schools, having a LASRRA number is actually a requirement to be enrolled in Lagos State government schools. What we are doing now is simply improving the process by using technology and working closely with the various districts to collect and consolidate those numbers,” she said.

Adebiyi-Abiola noted that the approach for private schools would be slightly different because many students are yet to register with LASRRA.

“To address this gap, LASRRA will work with OEQA and school administrators to carry out on-site registration across different geographical zones of the state.

“For private schools, quite a few students may not yet have their LASRRA numbers. So, in partnership with OEQA and the schools, we will go to the various locations and register the students directly,” she added.

She said the registration process would take less than five minutes per student and expressed confidence that the exercise would be completed within a few months after field operations begin.

The LASRRA boss further disclosed that both students and teachers in public and private schools would receive standardised identity cards as part of the broader identity and education data integration programme.

She added that discussions are ongoing with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to make it easier for students and school communities to register for and obtain their National Identification Numbers (NIN).

According to her, schools will carry out pre-registration of students before LASRRA officials visit for biometric capture and final verification. She said the arrangement would reduce processing time and prevent congestion during the exercise.

Adebiyi-Abiola also said LASRRA would strengthen its presence through its registration centres across the state’s local government areas to make identity registration more accessible to residents and school communities.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Office of Education Quality Assurance, Dr. Sulaimon Ogunmuyiwa, said plans were underway to launch radio and television awareness campaigns to educate schools, parents, and students ahead of the exercise.

He said the sensitisation campaign would ensure smooth participation and minimise disruptions when the registration begins across public and private schools.

Ogunmuyiwa described the collaboration as a demonstration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to inter-agency cooperation for improved service delivery.

He said the initiative would help ensure that every student in Lagos is assigned a unique identification number to enable the government to maintain accurate education records, monitor academic progress, and formulate policies that improve learning outcomes.

“Our goal is to make sure we give a unique number to every student in Lagos while also registering them as residents of the state.

“Even after leaving school, they will already be captured as Lagos residents, while during their academic journey, the unique identification number will help us track performance and ensure they receive the support required to succeed in life,” he said.

The Director-General added that the exercise would cover both public and private schools across Lagos State. He explained that while public school stakeholders attended the morning session, a separate engagement was held later with private school associations and other stakeholders to ensure broad participation.

The collaboration is expected to improve educational planning, strengthen student data management, enhance identity registration, and support informed decision-making across Lagos State’s education sector.

Lagos begins unique ID registration for public, private school students