Education stakeholders validate Kaduna school census, out of school children reports
By Hussaina Yakubu
June 29, 2026
Education stakeholders have validated the Kaduna State 2025/2026 Annual School Census (ASC) and Out of School Children (OOSC) Mapping reports to strengthen evidence based education planning.
The reports were validated during a stakeholders’ workshop organised under the Reaching Out of School Children (ROOSC) Project in Kaduna.
Participants were drawn from the National Bureau of Statistics, Federal Ministry of Education, National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, Save the Children International, UNICEF, Institute for Policy, Kaduna Quality Assurance Authority, Kaduna SUBEB, Kaduna State Ministry of Education and other stakeholders.
Speaking, ROOSC Project Coordinator, Mr Ezra Angai, described the reports as complementary tools for improving education planning and expanding access to quality education.
Angai said the Annual School Census recorded 2.58 million learners enrolled in 5,416 schools with 35,142 teachers across Kaduna State.
He said the household mapping exercise covered 360,319 households across the state’s 23 local government areas.
According to him, the exercise identified 187,720 out-of-school children, providing government with reliable data for targeted interventions.
He said the reports showed that areas with severe teacher shortages also recorded higher concentrations of out of school children.
Angai identified Kubau, Birnin Gwari and Makarfi among local governments with critical pupil-teacher ratios and significant numbers of out-of-school children.
He said the findings also revealed that boys now constitute the majority of out of school children in the state.
According to him, nearly two-thirds of the identified children are of primary school age and have never attended school.
He added that poverty remained the leading driver of school exclusion, although other social factors contributed in some communities.
Angai said the validated reports would support education planning, budgeting and implementation under the Kaduna State Education Strategic Plan and Sustainable Development Goal Four.
He commended Gov. Uba Sani for supporting evidence-based planning and improving education delivery across the state.
Angai also appreciated Save the Children International, UNICEF and development partners for their technical and financial support.
In his keynote address, Commissioner for Planning and Budget Commission, Alhaji Mukhtar Ahmed, described reliable data as the foundation of effective governance.
Ahmed said credible education statistics eliminate guesswork in planning, budgeting and policy implementation.
He urged stakeholders to sustain collaboration to ensure education investments were guided by accurate and dependable information.
Earlier, Statistician General of Kaduna State, Dr Bukar Baba Alhaji, said quality data remained indispensable for evidence based education planning.
Alhaji said validating the reports strengthened their credibility and ensured they reflected realities across schools and communities.
Director of Planning, Kaduna State Ministry of Education, Salisu Baba Lawal, said quality education begins with quality data.
Lawal said the validated reports would strengthen implementation of interventions targeting out ofvschool children.
Executive Chairman, Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board, Mubarak Muhammad, described the reports as major milestones in addressing school exclusion.
Muhammad said the household mapping identified 187,720 out of school children, providing government with reliable information for targeted interventions.
He said about 60 per cent of the identified children had never attended school, while 40 per cent had dropped out.
Representative of Save the Children International, Emmanuel Umbusa, said community participation and quality assurance enhanced the credibility of the exercise.
Umbusa urged government to complement free education with economic empowerment programmes for vulnerable households.
The participants unanimously validated the Annual School Census and Out of School Children Mapping reports for use in education planning and policy implementation across Kaduna State. (NAN)