Kaduna Targets Returning 187,700 Out-Of-School Children Back To School

Kaduna State Government has pledged to deploy the findings of the 2026 Out-of-School Children Mapping Report and the 2025/2026 Annual School Census to strengthen efforts aimed at returning out-of-school children to classrooms across the state.

Deputy governor of the state, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, stated this yesterday at the dissemination of the reports under the Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROOSC) Project in Kaduna.

Balarabe said the report identified 187,719 out-of-school children across Kaduna state, with nearly 65 per cent aged between six and 11 years while boys account for 57 per cent of the total.

She noted that the state’s out-of-school population had declined from over 500,000 to 187,719 through sustained investment in education, adding that the sector received 25 per cent of the state’s 2026 budget.

Balarabe said the findings would guide the next phase of government interventions, particularly in Kubau, Giwa, Makarfi, Soba and Igabi local government areas where the burden of out-of-school children is highest, adding that the data would enhance planning, resource allocation and evidence-based decision-making.

According to her, the government has constructed more than 100 schools, renovated over 2,300 classrooms, introduced the annual recruitment of 2,000 primary school teachers and expanded free basic education and school feeding programmes to improve enrolment and retention.

Also speaking, Country Director of Save the Children International, Nigeria, Duncan Harvey, described the mapping exercise as a landmark achievement that provides for the first time, comprehensive data on the location, age, gender, disability status and circumstances of out-of-school children across Kaduna State.

Harvey disclosed that the mapping covered 360,319 households across the state’s 23 local government areas and revealed that 60.2 per cent of the identified children had never enrolled in school while 39.8 per cent had dropped out.

He added that the ROOSC Project had enrolled 7,481 learners in accelerated basic education programmes, mainstreamed 13,703 children from catch-up clubs into formal schools, enrolled 3,312 learners in integrated Qur’anic and Tsangaya education centres, and distributed 53,013 learner kits and assistive devices to vulnerable children, including those with disabilities.

For her part, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Dr Gerida Birukila, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting Kaduna state’s education reforms, describing the digitised Annual School Census as a major milestone that would enable policymakers to make faster and more informed decisions.

She said the availability of credible data left no room for inaction in addressing the educational needs of vulnerable children, assuring the state government of UNICEF’s continued support for inclusive education, particularly for children living with disabilities.

Earlier, ROOSC Project Coordinator, Ezra Angai, said the newly released report had replaced previous estimates with verified data, enabling interventions to target identified children and communities more effectively.

He disclosed that the project had already returned more than 25,000 out-of-school children to learning through formal schools and catch-up centres while about 20,000 others would be mainstreamed into formal schools when the new academic session begins in September.

Angai said procurement had been completed for 42 schools, comprising 16 new schools currently under construction and 26 undergoing renovation while another phase involving 13 new schools and 61 school renovation projects had commenced.

He commended the Kaduna state government and development partners, including the Islamic Development Bank, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, Global Partnership for Education, Education Above All, Save the Children International and UNICEF for supporting efforts to ensure that every child in Kaduna state tate has access to quality basic education.