FG Unveils Plan to Reintegrate Over One Million Out-of-School Children

Akure, Ondo State — The Federal Government has announced a nationwide initiative to reintegrate more than one million out-of-school children into Nigeria’s formal education system.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, revealed this on Wednesday during the 69th National Council on Education Summit held in Akure, Ondo State. The event, themed “Quality Education Data and Professionalisation of Teaching: Tools for Enhanced National Development,” brought together education stakeholders from across the country.

Dr. Alausa explained that the initiative, developed in collaboration with the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, involves mapping and documenting children across 12,600 communities nationwide. The programme primarily targets children aged seven to nine, who will be enrolled in low-cost private schools and training centres.

According to the minister, over 21,000 out-of-school children have already been identified in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and handed over to the FCT Education Secretariat for enrolment. He added that the government has established 109 functional learning centres and transit schools across the 36 states and the FCT, enrolling more than 15,200 learners to date.

“The ministry, in fulfilment of its mandate, set up a task force comprising the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, the National Commission for Nomadic Education, and the National Commission for Mass Literacy and Non-Formal Education,” Alausa said.

“With support from UBEC, this task force mapped out over one million children of various ages from 12,600 communities across the country. Efforts are ongoing to bring them back to school through structured enrolment into low-cost private schools and specialised training centres,” he added.

In his remarks, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa commended the Federal Government’s efforts, describing education as “the most powerful tool for social mobility, national unity, and sustainable development.”

Aiyedatiwa highlighted Ondo State’s continued investment in digital learning, teacher welfare, and educational infrastructure, tracing the state’s legacy back to the free education era of the old Western Region.

“Our goal is to make education not just accessible, but meaningful and transformative. Every child in Ondo State deserves a fair chance at learning and success,” the governor said.

The governor also applauded President Bola Tinubu’s education reforms, particularly the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, which has supported over 624,000 students, helping to bridge the gap between children of the rich and the poor.

Meanwhile, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), in collaboration with UNICEF, has begun developing a comprehensive framework to tackle the out-of-school children challenge nationwide.

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