The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the Katsina State Government, is set to conduct a comprehensive census to determine the number of Almajiri pupils and Islamiya schools across the state.
The exercise is scheduled to be flagged off on Saturday, 27 December 2025, by the Katsina State Governor, Dr Dikko Radda. Katsina is one of the states with the highest population of Almajiri pupils in Nigeria’s northwest region. A 2022 UNICEF census estimated the number of Almajiri children in the state at 243,000.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Media Assistant to the Statistician-General of Katsina State, Sa’id Sirajo, who noted that the exercise is being coordinated by the Katsina State Statistics Bureau.
According to the statement, between 2019 and 2022, the state government registered 25,922 Almajiri pupils and identified and integrated 255 Qur’anic schools across the state.
The statement explained that the purpose of the new census is to capture accurate data on all pupils enrolled in Islamiya and Tsangaya schools, which will enable the government to plan targeted interventions to improve learning conditions. It noted that access to reliable data would guide decisions on where to construct additional classrooms and how best to support the students.
Sirajo added that the Statistician-General of the state, Prof. Saifullahi Sani, and his team are currently preparing to train enumerators who will conduct door-to-door and school-to-school data collection during the exercise.
The Statistics Bureau described the census as “the first step to building a better future,” stressing that accurate data on Almajiri children would enhance planning for their education and welfare. The statement further noted that the exercise aligns with Governor Radda’s commitment to ensuring that every child in Katsina State has access to quality education and that no school is neglected.
