BORNO, NIGERIA– Borno State has actually recorded its highest-ever school enrolment, with 1,801,295 learners recorded in the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 Yearly School Census (ASC) Report.

The Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Development, Engr. Lawan Abba Wakilbe, revealed the report on Friday at the Ministry of Education Work Center, Musa Usman Secretariat, Maiduguri.

The current figure represents a boost of more than one million students from the 766,551 taped in the 2017/2018 scholastic session, highlighting a substantial expansion in access to education across the state.

Wakilbe associated the steady increase in enrolment to increased public confidence in the state’s education system and sustained federal government investment in restoring and broadening the sector.

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“When you look at where we started, 766,551 students in 2017/2018, and see where we are today, this is not simply a number; it is proof that moms and dads and communities when again trust our schools with their children’s future,” the commissioner said.

He applauded Governor Babagana Umara Zulum for his continual dedication to education advancement in the state and acknowledged the contributions of the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, particularly beforehand the nationwide education data program through the Digital National Education Management Details System (DNEMIS).

Instructor Labor Force Broadens

The commissioner said the development in enrolment had been accompanied by a growth of the teaching labor force.

At the senior secondary level, the number of instructors increased from 2,314 to 2,998. The figure is forecasted to reach 3,998 in 2027 following the recruitment of an additional 1,000 senior secondary school instructors in August 2026.

With facilitators supporting Sangaya and mass literacy programmes included, the state’s combined teaching labor force now stands at an estimated 19,316.

“We can not speak about gain access to without speaking about the people who stand in front of the class every day.

That is why, alongside rising enrolment, we have actually intentionally grown our mentor workforce since more pupils should mean more qualified instructors, not more overcrowded classrooms,” Wakilbe stated.

Public School Facilities Grows

The ASC report also tape-recorded substantial growth in Borno’s public secondary school infrastructure.

According to the report, the number of practical public secondary schools increased from 34 in 2021 to 129 in 2026.

Wakilbe also disclosed that the state achieved 100 per cent reporting coverage across pre-primary and main, junior secondary, senior secondary, and science and technical schools throughout the latest census cycle.

He said the government was taking steps to formally integrate Sangaya education into the wider education system through the facility of the Arabic and Sangaya Education Board, development of High Islamic Colleges, and the ongoing registration and confirmation of Sangaya centres, enumerators, facilitators and Islamiyya schools.

The unveiling was participated in by the Permanent Secretary, SUBEB, Dr Hyelni Mshelia; AGILE Coordinator, Engr. Ibrahim Baba; agent of the Commissioner for Preparation and Economic Advancement, Alhaji Adamu Idris Bako; Dr Yusuf Isma, who led the UNICEF and donor partners’ delegation; and Mohammed Abdullahi, who led the delegation of Borno civil society organisations.

Others present included Suleiman Askira, Director-General of Stats; Alhaji Abba Bukar, Chairman of the School-Based Management Committee; Abba Kurama, Director of Preparation, Research Study and Data, representing the Executive Secretary of the Education Trust Fund; as well as education secretaries and directors from across the sector.

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