Alausa Disputes 15 Million Out-of-School Children Data, Pegs Figure at Around 7m

Federal Government disputes widely quoted figure of Nigeria's out-of-school children, estimating the actual number to be between 7 million and 8 million. This estimate is part of their plan to conduct a nationwide household survey to establish the accurate number and locations of out-of-school children across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, revealed that the government would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to carry out the exercise, which is expected to take approximately eight months. Alausa emphasized that the current data estimating between 15 million to 17.5 million out-of-school children is significantly overstated, as it was largely based on projected population figures rather than actual counts.

He explained that Nigeria had not conducted a national census in decades, making projections unreliable for planning educational interventions. The proposed survey would not only provide an accurate figure but also identify the specific households where the affected children reside. Alausa cited examples from Kaduna, Kano, Zamfara, and Sokoto states, where household surveys revealed substantial differences between estimated and actual numbers of out-of-school children.

He emphasized that the government was seeking to create a continuum in education, enabling students to progress from technical education to higher qualifications without converting polytechnics into universities.