The Federal government has announced strategies to perform a nationwide family survey to get upgraded and more precise data on the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday at the 2026 Yearly Education Summit arranged by the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN) in Abuja.
He discussed that the workout would be carried out in cooperation with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to create trustworthy information that will support education preparation, policymaking and targeted interventions.
According to the minister, the figures currently utilized to estimate Nigeria’s out-of-school population no longer adequately show the circumstance on the ground, making it required to conduct a detailed assessment.
He said the prepared family study would provide government with a clearer understanding of the scale and distribution of the difficulty, allowing authorities to develop more efficient methods for enhancing school enrolment and retention.
Alausa kept in mind that although government interventions have actually helped return more than one million kids to school over the past 2 years, precise data remains essential for evaluating progress and identifying locations needing greater attention.
Present price quotes place the number of out-of-school kids in Nigeria at in between 15 million and 20 million.
The minister said the Tinubu administration remains dedicated to evidence-based policymaking, including that access to reliable stats would also enhance public responsibility by making it possible for people and the media to examine federal government efficiency utilizing proven details.
He encouraged journalists to exceed reporting official events by accepting investigative journalism that takes a look at gaps in the education system and monitors the execution of government policies.
According to him, data-driven reporting can play a substantial function in improving transparency and advancing education outcomes across the country.
Alausa also highlighted crucial reforms being executed under the administration’s education program, consisting of expanded Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), higher focus on Science, Innovation, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), digital improvement, strengthened quality assurance, improved governance and broader access to education.
He further specified that Nigeria has experienced 3 consecutive years of uninterrupted scholastic calendars in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, attributing the achievement to sustained dialogue with unions in the tertiary education sector.
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The minister likewise revealed that the number of Nigerian universities ranked among the world’s top 1,000 organizations has increased from 21 to 24, with public universities inhabiting the country’s top 4 positions.
The top, themed “Three Years of the Tinubu Administration: Evaluating Reforms, Development and Challenges in Nigeria’s Education Sector,” united government officials, education stakeholders and reporters to evaluate developments in the sector.
Likewise attending to participants, the Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad, contacted reporters to promote ongoing reforms through reasonable, well balanced and accountable reporting.
She explained education as a crucial driver of financial development, democratic development, hardship decrease and nationwide cohesion.
The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Aisha Garba, restated the commission’s dedication to guaranteeing that every Nigerian child has access to quality fundamental education despite social or geographical background.
She worried that no kid ought to be denied academic chances because of place, income level or other circumstances.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, Grace Ike, urged the media to continue promoting transparency and public awareness on education concerns, while requiring stronger collaboration amongst government, moms and dads, school administrators, policymakers and reporters to attend to the sector’s obstacles.
Similarly, the Unique Adviser to the Minister of Education on Media and Interaction, Ikharo Attah, promoted fact-based journalism, emphasising that education reporting need to be directed by validated information rather than speculation.
Previously, ECAN Chairman, Chuks Ukwauta, said the yearly summit was convened to evaluate the reforms, accomplishments and outstanding difficulties in Nigeria’s education sector under the present administration.
Nigeria continues to have among the biggest populations of out-of-school kids worldwide, with elements such as poverty, insecurity, child labour, early marital relationship, inadequate school facilities and restricted access to quality education contributing to the persistent obstacle, especially in rural and underserved neighborhoods.