Alausa Ends Era of Estimate-Based Planning, Adopts Model to Tackle Out-of-School Children Nationwide By Beauty Akporido Aroh

The Federal Government has unveiled a transformative strategy to tackle Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis, abandoning estimate-based planning in favour of a comprehensive household mapping system that will accurately identify every out-of-school child across the country.

The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, announced that the Federal Ministry of Education has adopted Kaduna State’s household mapping model as the national framework for identifying, locating and returning out-of-school children to classrooms.

The initiative, to be implemented across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), will be carried out in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The exercise will generate precise household-level data, replacing broad projections with verified information on the exact number of out-of-school children, where they live and the households they belong to.

Speaking during a meeting with the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, Dr. Alausa described the decision as a landmark shift in Nigeria’s education planning and a major milestone in addressing one of the country’s most persistent educational challenges.

“For years, we relied largely on estimates that could not accurately tell us where these children were. This exercise changes that completely by providing verified data that will guide policy decisions and ensure interventions reach the children who need them most,” the Minister said.

He cited Kaduna State as a practical example of the effectiveness of the approach. While previous estimates suggested the state had about 585,000 out-of-school children, the household mapping exercise conducted by the Kaduna State Government revealed 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,” Dr. Alausa added.

The Minister commended Governor Uba Sani for pioneering an innovative model that has provided a more accurate understanding of the challenge and demonstrated how reliable data can significantly improve education planning, policy implementation and service delivery.

According to him, the Federal Ministry of Education is already collaborating with the National Bureau of Statistics to replicate the Kaduna methodology nationwide, expressing confidence that the exercise will enable governments at all levels to allocate resources more efficiently, design evidence-based interventions and effectively monitor progress in reducing the number of out-of-school children.

Governor Uba Sani, in his remarks, praised both the Honourable Minister of Education and the Honourable Minister of State for Education for the far-reaching reforms being introduced in the sector, describing their leadership as visionary and encouraging for state governments.

He also applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unwavering commitment to education, noting that the Federal Government’s support has created the momentum for meaningful reforms across the country.

The Governor reaffirmed Kaduna State’s readiness to continue collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Education to expand access to quality education, stressing that investment in education remains one of the most critical responsibilities of government.

He expressed satisfaction that Kaduna’s household mapping initiative has now become the national model for tackling the out-of-school children challenge.

Reassuring Nigerians of the Federal Government’s commitment, Dr. Alausa said the nationwide mapping exercise would provide the accurate data required to develop practical solutions, strengthen collaboration with state governments and development partners, and ensure that no child is left behind under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He emphasised that the initiative marks a decisive transition from assumption-driven planning to evidence-based decision-making, positioning Nigeria to make measurable progress in achieving universal access to basic education.