Out-of-School Crisis: Gombe Targets 220,000 Pupils Enrolment

The Gombe State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) on Monday convened a one-day stakeholders’ engagement meeting to launch the 2025 Enrolment Drive Campaign to address the rising number of out-of-school children in the state.

LEADERSHIP understands that the engagement was organised in partnership with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Speaking at the event in Gombe, SUBEB Chairman, Mr. Babaji Babadidi said the exercise was designed to sensitise stakeholders, parents, and communities on the urgent need to return children to classrooms and keep them there.

Babadidi explained that each of the state’s 11 local government areas has been given a target to enrol no fewer than 10,000 children for the 2025/2026 academic session, amounting to 110,000 new enrolments statewide.

“Each Local Government Area (LGA) has been given a target to enrol no fewer than 10,000 pupils for the 2025/2026 academic year, making a total of 110,000 pupils across the state,” he said.

Babadidi noted that the state government has already introduced measures such as improving school infrastructure, training more teachers, and providing incentives like free uniforms and textbooks.

However, the Commissioner for Education, Professor Aishatu Maigari called for more targets, proposing doubling the enrolment figure to 20,000 children per LGA, which would bring the overall target to 220,000.

According to Maigari, such bold steps were necessary to reverse the growing crisis and to align with global education goals.

The commissioner added that addressing the challenge also means tackling barriers that keep girls out of school.

She argued for policies that ensure safer school environments, better access for rural communities, and support systems for children with disabilities.

The UNICEF Bauchi Field Office representative, Mohammed Kudi, who facilitated the meeting, emphasised that the crisis must be treated as a collective emergency.

Kudi highlighted that more than 80 per cent of school-age children nationwide face challenges of accessing education, with poverty, cultural practices, insecurity, and weak infrastructure contributing to the problem.

“In Gombe State, the number of out-of-school children has risen to 737,000, a shocking figure that should concern every stakeholder,” he said, stressing that success will depend not just on enrolment drives, but on ensuring retention and completion of basic education.

Participants at the meeting, including traditional rulers, religious leaders, educators, policymakers, and civil society groups, were unanimous that reversing the trend requires a whole-of-society approach.

Speakers urged community leaders to take ownership of enrolment campaigns, religious leaders to champion the cause from the pulpit, and parents to prioritise education over child labour or early marriage.

Data from UNICEF and the World Bank estimates that Nigeria is home to 13.5 million out-of-school children, the highest figure globally.

Of this number, Gombe State accounts for over 787,000 children, representing about 13 per cent of its population, the figure, officials said, has climbed sharply from an earlier estimate of 500,000.

Experts argue that the state’s long-term development hinges on how many children were currently kept in school.

High illiteracy levels, unemployment, and cycles of poverty are already linked to the out-of-school crisis, with implications for security and economic stability.

The enrolment campaign will run ahead of the new academic year, with field teams expected to go from house to house, religious places to appeal for parents to register their children.

Also, radio jingles, community town halls, and market campaigns were also planned to spread awareness.