The Federal Government has abandoned the use of estimates in tackling Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis, and has adopted Kaduna State’s household mapping model as a national strategy to identify every child outside the classroom and channel interventions more effectively.
Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa announced the policy shift after a meeting with Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, saying the Federal Ministry of Education would work with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to conduct a nationwide household-level mapping exercise across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The initiative, according to the minister, is aimed at replacing broad projections with verified data that identifies the exact number of out-of-school children, where they live and the households they belong to.
Describing the move as a major milestone in addressing one of Nigeria’s biggest education challenges, Alausa said government can no longer rely on figures that do not accurately reflect realities on the ground.
He explained that for years, education planning had been based largely on estimates that failed to show the precise location of out-of-school children, making targeted interventions difficult.
In a statement signed by his Senior Adviser Media and Communications,. Ikharo Attah on Thursday, the minister disclosed that while previous estimates placed the number of out-of-school children in the state at about 585,000, a household mapping exercise conducted by the state government revealed that the actual figure is fewer than 200,000.
He said: “With this exercise, we now know where these children are and the households they belong to. That gives us the opportunity to work closely with the Kaduna State Government to bring them back to school.”
Alausa described Kaduna’s approach as a model that has demonstrated the importance of evidence-based planning, saying the Federal Government would replicate the methodology nationwide in collaboration with the NBS.
According to him, the exercise will enable governments at all levels to deploy resources more efficiently, design targeted interventions and monitor progress in reducing the number of out-of-school children.
Alausa commended Governor Uba Sani for introducing what he described as an innovative model that provides a clearer picture of the challenge and improves policy decisions and service delivery in the education sector.
The minister expressed confidence that the nationwide mapping would provide reliable data to strengthen collaboration among the Federal Government, state governments and development partners in expanding access to education.
Governor Uba Sani, in his remarks, praised both the Minister of Education and the Minister of State for Education for the reforms being implemented in the sector, describing their leadership as inspiring confidence among state governments.
He also commended President Bola Tinubu for sustaining support for education reforms, saying the Federal Government’s commitment had created the momentum for transformative changes across the country.
The governor reaffirmed Kaduna State’s commitment to working closely with the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure more children gain access to quality education.
He expressed satisfaction that the state’s household mapping exercise had become the template for a nationwide intervention.
