UBEC Partners Traditional, Religious Leaders to Tackle Out-of-School Children in Nigeria

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has partnered with traditional rulers and religious leaders to intensify efforts to identify out-of-school children and facilitate their enrolment in schools across Nigeria.

The initiative will also involve community-level monitoring of pupils’ attendance, retention and completion to prevent children from dropping out after gaining admission.

The development was announced in a statement issued by UBEC’s Office of the Executive Secretary on Thursday, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the commission and the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development.

Under the agreement, traditional and religious institutions will be mobilised to strengthen community participation in basic education, particularly in underserved areas where poverty, cultural practices and other social challenges continue to restrict access to schooling.

The partnership will establish coordinating committees at national, state and local government levels to drive advocacy and grassroots mobilisation. Traditional rulers and religious leaders will also be encouraged to persuade parents and guardians to prioritise their children’s education.

The agreement further provides for the production and distribution of educational advocacy materials in Hausa, Fulfulde and Yoruba, alongside household-level identification of children who are not attending school and efforts to enrol them in nearby schools.

UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, said the partnership reflected the Federal Government’s recognition that addressing Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis required more than government funding and infrastructure.

She described traditional and religious leaders as important partners because of their influence over community values, family decisions and grassroots mobilisation.

“Traditional and religious leaders are indispensable to the success of this initiative, given their influence in shaping community values, guiding family decisions and mobilising grassroots support,” Garba said.

She added that particular attention would be given to girls, whose access to education remains restricted by social and cultural barriers in some communities.

According to her, the partnership would also introduce accountability mechanisms to recognise communities, schools and traditional leaders that record measurable improvements in basic education.

Garba said the success of the initiative would be assessed through increased enrolment, improved attendance and retention, stronger learning outcomes and a sustained reduction in the number of children outside the education system.

Nigeria’s Out-of-School Children Challenge

The partnership comes amid persistent concerns over the number of Nigerian children excluded from formal education despite the implementation of the Universal Basic Education programme and the provision of free and compulsory basic education under the UBE Act of 2004.

UNICEF’s 2025 Nigeria Annual Report identified 10.2 million out-of-school children in the country, with 45 per cent in the North-West and 28 per cent in the North-East.

The figures highlight the concentration of the challenge in regions affected by insecurity, poverty, displacement and limited access to functional schools.

In May 2026, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the Federal Government had returned more than one million children to classrooms within 30 months through its interventions.

He also disclosed that the government was conducting a nationwide mapping exercise to establish more accurate figures and identify the locations of out-of-school children through geotagging.

The Federal Ministry of Education subsequently highlighted its Back2School Drive and interactive out-of-school children dashboard as part of efforts to identify affected children, support enrolment and improve the targeting of interventions.

However, UNICEF reported that only 70 per cent of Nigerian children and young people aged between three and 24 attended school in 2025. Attendance stood at 51 per cent in rural communities, compared with 75 per cent in urban areas.

UBEC Highlights Infrastructure Investments

Garba also disclosed that UBEC, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education and State Universal Basic Education Boards, had facilitated the construction of more than 4,900 classrooms and the renovation of existing school facilities nationwide.

She said the commission had provided water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, with its infrastructure interventions directly benefiting more than 2.3 million learners by the end of 2025.

According to her, UBEC had also expanded community-driven school improvement programmes and teacher professional development initiatives to strengthen school management and improve teaching and learning outcomes.

She said sustained government investment and effective coordination among institutions remained essential to addressing longstanding challenges in the basic education sector.

Garba acknowledged the contributions of the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmad, to efforts aimed at strengthening the sector and expanding inclusive access to education.

She, however, emphasised that sustaining progress would require stronger community ownership and active participation from stakeholders beyond government institutions.

Also speaking, Kebbi State Deputy Governor, Senator Umar Tafida, who represented Governor Nasir Idris, commended the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development for its contributions to health and social development.

He particularly acknowledged interventions supported by development partners, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and praised the foundation’s efforts to improve the welfare and educational opportunities of vulnerable children.

Tafida described the foundation’s support for disadvantaged children as consistent with the values of Islam and humanity. He also conveyed the governor’s goodwill to UBEC, the Sultan Foundation and the Nasara Foundation.

Garba assured that the commission would continue working with state governments, traditional institutions and development partners to expand access to quality basic education and strengthen ongoing reforms.