Alausa unveils household mapping strategy to cut out-of-school population

The Federal Government has unveiled a new data-driven strategy to address Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis, announcing the adoption of Kaduna State’s household mapping model as the national framework for identifying and returning millions of children to classrooms.

Maruf Olatunji Alausa, said the initiative would replace reliance on broad projections with verified household-level data, enabling governments to identify exactly where out-of-school children live and design targeted interventions to improve school enrolment and retention.

According to a statement issued by Ikharo Attah, the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, the nationwide mapping exercise will be implemented across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Alausa announced the decision during a meeting with Uba Sani, Governor of Kaduna State, describing the initiative as a major step towards tackling one of the country’s most pressing education challenges.

He explained that planning for interventions had for years relied largely on estimates that could not accurately determine the location or number of out-of-school children.

The minister said the new household mapping approach would provide verified information on affected children, their locations and the households they belong to, allowing governments at all levels to deploy resources more efficiently and monitor progress more effectively.

Using Kaduna State as an example, Alausa said previous estimates placed the number of out-of-school children in the state at about 585,000.

However, he disclosed that the household mapping exercise conducted by the Kaduna State Government revealed that the actual figure is fewer than 200,000.

“With this exercise, we now know where these children are and the households they belong to. That gives us the opportunity to work closely with the Kaduna State Government to bring them back to school,” the minister said.

He commended Governor Uba Sani for introducing a model that provides a clearer picture of the challenge and demonstrates how reliable data can improve policy decisions and service delivery in the education sector.

According to Alausa, the Federal Ministry of Education has already begun working with the National Bureau of Statistics to replicate the same methodology nationwide.

He expressed confidence that the exercise would provide the government with accurate information needed to strengthen planning, improve resource allocation and accelerate efforts to reduce the country’s out-of-school population.

Speaking at the meeting, the Governor commended the Minister of Education and the Minister of State for Education for the reforms being implemented in the sector, describing their leadership as encouraging and inspiring to state governments.

He also lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his continued support for education, noting that the Federal Government’s commitment has created momentum for meaningful reforms across the country.

The governor reaffirmed Kaduna State’s commitment to working closely with the Federal Ministry of Education to expand access to quality education and welcomed the adoption of the state’s household mapping exercise as a national model.

Alausa assured Nigerians that no child would be left behind in the government’s efforts to improve access to education.

He said the nationwide household mapping exercise would provide the accurate data required to support practical solutions, deepen collaboration with state governments and development partners, and ensure that more out-of-school children are identified, enrolled and retained in school under the Renewed Hope Agenda.