The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, says the ministry will adopt the Kaduna State household mapping model for nationwide rollout to accurately identify out-of-school children and return them to school.
Mr Alausa disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Mr Ikharo Attah.
Alausa said the new approach would replace estimate-based planning with household-level data to determine the exact number of out-of-school children, their locations and the households they belong to.
He said the exercise would be carried out across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
According to him, the initiative will enable governments at all levels to design targeted interventions and deploy resources more effectively.
The minister said the decision followed a meeting with the Governor of Kaduna State, Sen. Uba Sani, describing the initiative as a major step toward addressing one of Nigeria’s biggest education challenges.
”For many years, planning was based largely on projections that could not accurately show where out-of-school children were located.
”The new mapping exercise changes that by providing verified information that will guide policy decisions and ensure that interventions are directed to the children who need them most,” he said.
Alausa cited Kaduna as an example, saying previous estimates put the number of out-of-school children in the state at about 585,000, but the state’s household mapping exercise showed the figure was 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.
The minister commended Sani for introducing the model, saying it had demonstrated how accurate data could improve decision-making and service delivery in the education sector.
He added that the ministry was already working with the NBS to replicate the methodology nationwide to improve planning, monitor progress and reduce the number of out-of-school children.
Alausa assured Nigerians that no child would be left behind, adding that the nationwide mapping exercise would support practical solutions, strengthen collaboration with state governments and development partners.
He added that the initiative would improve school enrolment and retention.
Also speaking, Sani commended Alausa and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, for the reforms being implemented in the education sector.
He also appreciated President Bola Tinubu for his continued support for education, saying the Federal Government’s commitment had created momentum for meaningful reforms across the country.
The governor reaffirmed Kaduna State’s commitment to collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Education to expand access to quality education.
He expressed satisfaction that Kaduna’s household mapping exercise had been adopted as the national model for identifying out-of-school children.