Save the Children International and UNICEF have reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the Kaduna State Government in addressing the out-of-school children crisis, pledging continued collaboration to ensure every child has access to quality basic education.
The commitment was made during the Data Dissemination Event for the 2026 Out-of-School Children Mapping and the 2025/2026 Annual School Census reports under the Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROOSC) Project, held in Kaduna.
Speaking at the event, the Country Director of Save the Children International in Nigeria, Duncan Harvey, described the mapping exercise as a major breakthrough that would improve education planning through accurate, evidence-based data.
According to Harvey, the exercise has, for the first time, provided detailed information on the location of out-of-school children across Kaduna State’s 23 local government areas, including their age, gender, and disability status.
“This is a landmark occasion because, for the first time, Kaduna State now knows exactly where its out-of-school children are. We know their age, their gender and whether they are living with disabilities. This gives us the evidence we need to target interventions where they are most needed,” he said.
Harvey disclosed that the household survey covered 360,319 households in communities with high numbers of out-of-school children, identifying a total of 187,719 children currently outside the formal education system.
He revealed that 60.2 percent of the identified children had never enrolled in school, while 39.8 percent had dropped out after initially enrolling. He attributed the situation to several factors, including poverty, teacher shortages, inadequate learning facilities, insecurity, disability-related barriers, child labour, and harmful social norms.
He stressed that the goal extends beyond enrolling children in school.
“The challenge is not simply about getting children into classrooms. We must ensure they remain in school, learn effectively and successfully transition through the education system,” Harvey said.
Reaffirming Save the Children’s commitment to the ROOSC project, Harvey said the organisation remains focused on helping Kaduna State achieve its target of returning 100,000 out-of-school children to school.
He highlighted key achievements already recorded under the project, including the enrolment of 7,481 learners into accelerated basic education programmes, the transition of 13,703 children aged six to nine from catch-up clubs into formal schools, the enrolment of 3,312 learners into integrated Qur’anic and Tsangaya education centres, and the distribution of 53,013 learner kits and assistive devices to vulnerable children, including those living with disabilities.
Harvey urged the Kaduna State Government to translate the findings of the mapping exercise into actionable and adequately funded implementation plans. He also called on development partners, communities, and the media to continue supporting efforts to tackle the out-of-school children challenge.
“We have the data. What matters now is turning these findings into action. Government, donors, communities and the media all have critical roles to play in ensuring that every child gets the opportunity to learn,” he added.
Also speaking, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Dr. Gerida Birukila, described the digitised Annual School Census as a significant milestone that would strengthen education planning and support better policy decisions.
“There can no longer be excuses. We now have the data required to act. UNICEF will remain with Kaduna State every step of the way to ensure that every child, especially children living with disabilities, has access to quality education,” she said.
Birukila also advocated the adoption of innovative solutions, including digital learning platforms, to reach children affected by insecurity, displacement, and climate-related disasters.
Earlier, during a media engagement, Harvey disclosed that Save the Children had already succeeded in returning more than 100,000 out-of-school children to classrooms under the ROOSC project.
He said the latest mapping exercise had further strengthened the intervention by providing precise information on the location of 187,719 out-of-school children who will become the primary focus of the project’s next phase.
Harvey described the mapping exercise as a model that could be replicated across other states, noting that it provides governments with the evidence needed to improve planning, budgeting, and targeted educational interventions.
Project Coordinator of the ROOSC Project, Ezra Angai, said the initiative had already exceeded its enrolment target during its first year of implementation.
According to him, the newly released report identifies not only where out-of-school children are located but also the reasons they remain outside the education system, enabling stakeholders to redesign interventions that promote both enrolment and retention.
Angai identified poverty as the leading driver of the crisis, particularly among boys who engage in farming, hawking, and other income-generating activities to support their families.
The Statistician-General of the Kaduna State Bureau of Statistics, Dr. Bukar Baba Alhaji, explained that the exercise utilised geospatial mapping technology and fully digitised data collection carried out by more than 1,200 trained enumerators, supported by multiple quality assurance processes.
He said the findings would help the state government design more targeted interventions by identifying both the locations of affected children and the factors preventing them from attending school.
Head of Education at Save the Children, Richard Ahead, also reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to inclusive education, noting that children living with disabilities were deliberately prioritised throughout the project.
“We are intentional about inclusion. We carried out disability assessments to understand the specific needs of every child and ensure they receive the support required to learn effectively in school,” Ahead said.
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 to significantly reduce the number of out-of-school children across the state.
