Alausa Adopts Kaduna Model To Tackle Out-Of-School Children Crisis

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa has announced the adoption of Kaduna State’s household mapping model as the national framework to identify and return out-of-school children to classrooms across Nigeria.

The new approach will be implemented in the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory and will replace reliance on broad estimates with accurate household-level data.

Working with the National Bureau of Statistics, the Federal Ministry of Education will undertake a nationwide mapping exercise to determine the exact number of out-of-school children, their locations and the households they belong to, to enable governments at all levels to reach them with targeted interventions, a statement signed by the minister’s Special Adviser (Media and Communications), Ikharo Attah, explained.

The minister disclosed this during a meeting with the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, describing the initiative as a significant step towards addressing one of the country’s biggest education challenges.

He explained that for many years, planning for out-of-school children was based largely on projections that could not accurately show where the children were located.

The new mapping exercise, he said, changes that by providing verified information to guide policy decisions and ensure that interventions are directed to the children who need them most.

Using Kaduna State as an example, the Minister noted that previous estimates put the number of out-of-school children in the state at about 585,000.

However, the household mapping exercise conducted by the Kaduna State Government showed that the actual figure is fewer than 200,000.

“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,” he said.

He commended the governor for introducing a model that has provided a clearer picture of the challenge and has demonstrated how accurate data can improve decision-making and service delivery in the education sector.

The minister said the Federal Ministry of Education is already working with the National Bureau of Statistics to replicate the same methodology nationwide, expressing confidence that the exercise will provide government with the information needed to plan better, deploy resources more effectively and monitor progress in reducing the number of out-of-school children.

In his remarks, the Kaduna State governor, commended the Minister of Education and the Minister of State for Education for the reforms being implemented in the education sector, describing their leadership as encouraging and inspiring to state governments.

The governor also appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his continued support for education, noting that the Federal Government’s commitment has created the momentum for meaningful reforms across the country.

Sani reaffirmed Kaduna State’s commitment to working closely with the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure that more children have access to quality education.

He said education remains one of the most important investments any government can make and expressed satisfaction that Kaduna’s household mapping exercise is now being adopted as a national model.