By FUNMILAYO ADEYEMI

In a major breakthrough in fight against educational exclusion, the Federal Government has identified and documented 700,000 out-of-school children across the country, within one month.

Nura Muhammad, Spokesperson for the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education (NCAOOSCE) disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

Muhammad said an extensive mapping exercise carried out by the commission, captured comprehensive data on each child, including their photograph, location, age, parents’ information, and reasons for being out of school.

According to him, the data is the most comprehensive and verifiable digital database on Nigeria’s out-of-school population.

He, therefore, urged state governments to commence the process of enrolment of the identified children in schools.

Muhammad said the data had been uploaded to a publicly accessible digital dashboard, making it “the most verifiable dataset yet generated on Nigeria’s out-of-school population”.

“This achievement is unprecedented in Nigeria’s efforts to address the challenge of out-of-school children, particularly in terms of generating reliable and verifiable data on this vulnerable population.

“Following the data collection exercise, the Commission formally wrote to all state governments and the FCT Administration, seeking their collaboration In enrolling these children into schools.

“As education falls under the concurrent legislative list, the cooperation of state governments is critical.

“Having taken the initiative to identify these children, we are calling on the states to take the next step and ensure their enrolment,” he said.

Muhammad noted that poverty remained the leading driver of out-of-school challenge, with many children kept at home because their parents could not afford basic costs, such as uniforms or PTA levies.

He added that, to cushion the burden, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa had facilitated the enrolment of 120,000 children into low-cost private schools, targeting the most vulnerable families.

Muhammad expressed optimism that with sustained cooperation from states, all the 700,000 identified children would soon be in school.

He explained that the enrolment, would pave the way for the Commission to expand its mapping exercise nationwide.

“Our goal is that by the end of the Tinubu administration, no child in Nigeria will remain out of school,” he said.

On the widely debated figures of Nigeria’s Almajiri and out-of-school population, Muhammad said the commission was prioritising accuracy over speculations.

According to him, the 20 million estimated number of Almajiri and out-of-school population in the country is not verifiable and accurate.

“We are committed to generating reliable data. The successful mapping of 700,000 children is just the beginning.

“With continued support from stakeholders, we are confident that we will soon produce a comprehensive and verifiable count,” he said

Muhammad said the comprehensive and verifiable figure of the children would enhance effective planning for their welfare and seamless implementation of targeted interventions. (NAN)

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