The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has launched a 2026 campaign to increase the enrolment of out-of-school children in Zamfara State.
The campaign was launched on Monday at the JNI Model Primary School in Gusau, with the Executive Chairman of the Zamfara State Universal Basic Education Board (ZSUBEB), Nasiru Anka, calling for a shift from collecting statistics to taking concrete action.
Anka said the challenge of out-of-school children was a national issue requiring coordinated efforts from government and other stakeholders.
He cited UNICEF data indicating that millions of Nigerian children are out of school, including about 10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the junior secondary level.
According to Anka, an out-of-school children registration and mapping exercise supported by UNICEF and implemented by ZSUBEB and other stakeholders identified 453,602 out-of-school children across the state’s 14 Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs) between 2024 and 2025.
He said 95.3 per cent of the identified children live in rural communities, while 21,283, representing 4.7 per cent, reside in urban areas, mainly in local government headquarters.
“Our task now is clear. We must move from identification to enrolment, from enrolment to retention, and from retention to meaningful learning,” Anka said.
He said the campaign would involve traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders, organisations and other education stakeholders across the state.
Anka also stressed the importance of collaboration among ZSUBEB, UBEC, UNICEF, LGEAs and communities in addressing the out-of-school children challenge.
