UNICEF, Save the Children renew commitment to reducing out-of-school crisis in Kaduna

Describing the exercise as unprecedented, Birukila said the findings provide government and development partners with precise information on the specific local government areas, wards and households where out-of-school children are located, thereby improving planning and resource allocation.

The Project Coordinator of the ROOSC Project, Ezra Angai, said the first year of implementation surpassed its enrolment target and explained that the new report provides critical insights into both the locations of affected children and the reasons they remain outside the school system.

He identified poverty as the leading factor driving the crisis, particularly among boys who are often engaged in farming, street hawking and other income-generating activities to support their families.

The Statistician-General of the Kaduna State Bureau of Statistics, Bukar Baba Alhaji, said the exercise employed geospatial mapping technology and fully digitised data collection carried out by more than 1,200 trained enumerators, supported by multiple layers of quality assurance.

According to him, the findings will enable the government to design more targeted interventions by identifying both the location of out-of-school children and the factors responsible for keeping them away from classrooms.

Also speaking, the Head of Education at Save the Children International, Richard Ahead, said the project deliberately prioritised children living with disabilities through collaboration with organisations representing persons with disabilities and healthcare professionals.

He explained that disability assessments were conducted to identify each child’s specific educational needs and ensure appropriate support is provided to help them learn effectively.

The five-year Reaching Out-of-School Children Project is being implemented by the Kaduna State Government in partnership with Save the Children International, UNICEF, the Islamic Development Bank, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, Education Above All and the Global Partnership for Education, with the goal of significantly reducing the number of out-of-school children across Kaduna State.