From Salim Umar Ibrahim, Kano
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), in collaboration with the Kano State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has launched a school enrolment drive across states in Northern Nigeria to tackle the region’s high number of out-of-school children.
The initiative, flagged off at Lausu Primary School in Rano Local Government Area of Kano State, is part of a federal government effort to ensure that every school-age child is enrolled, retained, and able to complete basic education.
Speaking at the event, UBEC’s representative, Mr. Razaq Akinyemi, who stood in for Executive Secretary Aisha Garba, said the programme would be supported with interventions aimed at improving the learning environment, increasing the supply of learning materials, and enhancing teacher availability and quality.
“From challenges associated with the boy-child, girl-child, street children, Almajiri, to issues of educating children with special needs — we must put all hands on deck to address the challenge of low access to basic education,” she said.
She urged stakeholders to unite in developing effective strategies to promote quality education and ensure access for all children, stressing that collaborative efforts were key to overcoming barriers.
The Director of Quality Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Bello Rabe, who represented the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, reiterated the Tinubu administration’s commitment to revamping the education sector.
In his remarks, Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, represented by the Commissioner for Education, Ali Makoda, described the drive as a “wake-up call” in addressing the state’s out-of-school challenge. He said the government was currently remodeling and constructing school infrastructure across the state, and urged school heads to ensure that all school-age children are enrolled in the upcoming academic session in line with the 2025–2026 National Enrolment Initiative.
Also speaking, Kano State SUBEB Chairman, Malam Yusuf Kabir, who spoke on behalf of the Northern SUBEB Chairmen, called for the support of parents, guardians, and other stakeholders, describing education as “an investment in the future.”
The UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Kano, Rahama Farah, represented by Officer-in-Charge Michael Banda, reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to tackling challenges of access, quality, and systemic barriers to education in Nigeria.
