We’re leaving no stone unturned to tackle out-of-school children – FG

…As Gov. Yusuf issues a 30-day ultimatum to enrol all school-aged children

By Bashir Bello

KANO — The Federal Government has said that it is leaving no stone unturned to tackle the alarming situation of out-of-school children in the country.

The Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Aisha Garba, stated this during the flag-off ceremony for an enrollment drive in the Northern zone aimed at addressing the out-of-school children menace.

Represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Razaq Akinyemi, the Executive Secretary said the commission, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has already developed a roadmap to address the phenomenon and also enrol school-going-aged children.

According to her, “It is a fact that in every part of the country, there exist various groups of school-going age children who, for one reason or another other have not been privileged to attend formal school. From challenges associated with the Boy-Child, Girl-Child, street children, Almajiri and also issues of educating Children with Special Needs. We must therefore collectively put all hands-on deck to address the challenge of low access to basic education opportunities.

“In our quest to swiftly address the OOSC phenomenon, UBEC collaborated with UNICEF to develop a Framework of Action on Out-of-School Children which serves as a roadmap. It emphasizes innovative enrolment drive models, shared best practices, and state-led campaigns aligned with national education priorities; therefore, our enrolment drive is a critical endeavour that requires the active participation and engagement of all stakeholders; by working together, we can identify and address the challenges that hinder enrolment, develop effective strategies to promote education and ultimately increase access to quality education for all.

“In addition to several efforts put in place by the Universal Basic Education Commission in partnership with UNICEF and other development partners, it is imperative to organize this kind of event as we approach the beginning of the 2025/2026 academic session. This is not only timely but also premeditated in view of the prevalent number of out-of-school children in Nigeria. As you are all aware, part of the Commission’s statutory responsibilities as enshrined in the UBE Act 2004 is pursuing vigorously the desires of the Federal Government to deliver quality basic education that will fully address the needs of all categories of children irrespective of their socio-economic status in the society for the overall development of Nigeria.

“In recognition of the vast potential of our great citizenry, the Federal Government, through the instrumentality of UBEC, is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to ensure that all school- going age children are enrolled, retained and complete basic education that would equip them with basic numeracy and literacy. In line with the need to ensure that this becomes a reality, UBEC has provided complementary intervention towards enhancing the learning environment, increasing teaching and learning materials supplies to schools, improving teacher availability and quality, and widening opportunities for stakeholder participation in school management through the School-Based Management Committees,” the Executive Secretary, Garba noted.

In his remarks, Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State issued a 30-day ultimatum to headmasters in the state to ensure all school aged children are enrolled in school.

Represented by the Commissioner of Education, Ali Makoda, the Governor directed the headmasters to swing into action and ensure the enrollment is completed before the 30-day ultimatum elapsed in line with the 2025/2026 national enrollment drive.

He said, “the UNICEF statistics shows that Nigeria has 10.2 million out of school children. Kano State takes 7.6% representing 989,000. It’s a wake up call. All hands must be on deck to fight the phenomenon. That is why the Education Sector under Governor Abba Yusuf is not lacking anything”.

The Governor said the government has embarked on distribution of teaching and learning materials, infrastructure development to improve teaching and learning in the state.

Earlier, the Chairman, Kano State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, Yusuf Kabir who spoke on behalf of other Executive Chairmen from Northern Nigeria said the essence of the campaign drive was to ensure that all school age children are enrolled in school and to reduce number of out of school children.

Kabir who said the future of Northern States rest on the children assess in school, however appealed to all stakeholders including parents, traditional institutions among others to play their roles or parts well to ensure no child is left behind.

The UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Kano, Rahama Farah who was represented by the Officer-in-Charge, Michael Banda said access to education in northern Nigeria is hindered by a complex of insecurity, poverty, cultural norms, weak infrastructure and systemic governance issues.

He however, reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to supporting the state governments effort in addressing access, quality and systemic challenges facing the education sector.

He said UNICEF recognizes that communities are the driving force for education access, retention, transition, completion and continues to support the government to empower and work with the communities and other relevant stakeholders to address the demand side of education.

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