The government of Kano State has dispatched teams across the state to conduct comprehensive surveys on out-of-school children, aiming to determine the actual number of children not enrolled in formal education.
The move comes after the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimated that about 989,234 children in Kano State were out of school as of early 2025, making the state one of the highest contributors to Nigeria’s out-of-school children population.
To verify this figure, the state government constituted a high-powered fact-finding committee chaired by the Technical Adviser to the Governor on Education, Haladu Muhammad.
Speaking on the survey, Haladu explained that the committee has deployed enumerators to all 44 Local Government Areas (LGAs) to collect data, taking samples across communities to determine whether the actual number of out-of-school children is higher, lower, or in line with UNICEF’s estimates.
“The data we are gathering will help the government identify the communities most affected by the problem and guide plans to construct learning centres across the 44 local government areas,” Haladu said.
“These centres will provide children currently outside the school system access to basic education closer to their communities.”
The committee also includes representatives from traditional institutions, notably the representative of the Emir of Kano and District Head of Garko (Dokajin Kano), Muhammad Aliyu.
Aliyu attributed part of the rising number of out-of-school children to the influx of families from neighbouring states and the Niger Republic, who fled insecurity and other socio-economic challenges.
He noted that these children often remain outside the formal school system, increasing the pressure on local schools.
He further assured that the Emir of Kano would instruct district heads, village heads, and ward heads to sensitize communities about the importance of providing accurate information to enumerators.
The committee’s findings are expected to provide the first comprehensive and verified data on out-of-school children in Kano State, which will guide the government in planning interventions, including the construction of learning centres and targeted educational programmes, to tackle the growing menace and improve access to education in the state.