UBEC enlists traditional, religious leaders to tackle out-of-school crisis

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has enlisted traditional and religious leaders to join efforts in addressing the crisis of out-of-school children across Nigeria. The initiative aims to utilize the influence of these leaders to identify children not attending school and facilitate their enrollment in nearby schools. Community-level monitoring of pupils’ attendance, retention, and completion will also be implemented to ensure the success of enrolled children.

This partnership was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding between UBEC and the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development. The agreement calls for the establishment of national, state, and local coordinating committees, which will engage in education advocacy and grassroots mobilization. Traditional and religious leaders will be tasked with encouraging parents and guardians to prioritize their children's education.

Garba, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, emphasized the importance of community leaders in shaping community values, guiding family decisions, and mobilizing grassroots support in tackling the crisis. The partnership will also introduce accountability mechanisms to recognize communities, schools, and traditional leaders demonstrating measurable progress in improving access to basic education.

The initiative addresses the persistent basic education crisis in Nigeria, with millions of school-age children still outside the formal education system. According to UNICEF's 2025 Nigeria Annual Report, there are 10.2 million out-of-school children in the country, with 45% in the North-West and 28% in the North-East regions. The crisis is further exacerbated by factors such as poverty, cultural barriers, insecurity, and inadequate access to functional schools.

Since May 2026, the Federal Government has taken steps to address the issue, including returning over one million children to classrooms within 30 months. Additionally, the government is undertaking a nationwide mapping exercise to identify out-of-school children and their locations through geotagging. The Back2School Drive and an interactive out-of-school children dashboard have also been launched to support enrolment and intervention targeting.

Despite these efforts, the scale of the challenge remains significant. UNICEF reports that only 70% of Nigerian children and young people aged three to 24 attended school in 2025, with attendance rates being lower in rural communities (51%) compared to urban areas (75%). UBEC has already facilitated the construction of more than 4,900 classrooms and the renovation of existing school facilities nationwide, providing water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities to benefit over 2.3 million learners.