Gombe contributes 787,619 to Nigeria’s 13.5 million out-of-school children — UNICEF, World Bank

According to UNICEF and World Bank data, Gombe State accounts for 787,619 out-of-school children out of Nigeria’s staggering 13.5 million.

In a bid to tackle this alarming figure, the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), convened a one-day stakeholders’ engagement meeting to launch the 2025 Enrolment Drive Campaign.

Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya said the initiative aims to address the growing education gap through data-driven strategies, inclusive policy frameworks, and robust community engagement.

Represented by the State Commissioner for Education, Professor Aishatu Maigari, the governor proposed raising the target to 20,000 pupils per Local Government Area (LGA), bringing the total to 220,000 pupils.

He noted: “We have harmonised data on out-of-school children, classified by age, gender, and disability. We are also the only state with two detailed frameworks—one for out-of-school children and another specifically for Almajiri education.”

He further explained that the state has adopted the Retention, Transition, and Completion (RTC) model and introduced vocational and accelerated programmes for older learners, including Almajiri students, some of whom are as old as 17 and cannot begin at primary level.

According to him, 20 adult learners are set to graduate soon, and the state has domesticated the Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Bill, establishing a dedicated implementation board.

He also disclosed that each LGA now hosts one model Tsangaya school and three bilingual schools, each capable of accommodating up to 1,000 students.

In his address, the Chairman of SUBEB, Gombe State, Babaji Babadidi, explained that the event aimed to sensitise stakeholders and the general public on the importance of collaboration in creating an enabling environment to accelerate the return of out-of-school children.

He added that the meeting would explore strategies to ensure children are enrolled at the right age and time.

According to him, “Each LGA has been given a target to enrol no fewer than 10,000 pupils for the 2025/2026 academic year, making a total of 110,000 pupils across the state.”

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He emphasised that the initiative seeks to reduce the number of out-of-school children in Gombe by 50 per cent by 2030.

Babadidi reaffirmed the state’s commitment to tackling the root causes of low enrolment, such as poverty, limited awareness, and socio-economic barriers.

The lead facilitator at the event, Mohammed Kudi from the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, highlighted the importance of awareness creation and stakeholder responsibility in ensuring children return to school, remain enrolled, and complete their education.

He noted that nationally, more than 80.3 per cent of children are out of school in Nigeria. In Gombe State, the figure, once 500,000, has now risen to 737,000, representing 13 per cent of the state’s population—an “alarming” statistic.

Despite these figures, Kudi expressed optimism: “With strong political will, coordinated strategies, and community buy-in, we can change the narrative.”

The meeting was attended by stakeholders in the education sector, including traditional rulers, religious leaders, educators, and policymakers.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE