NCAOOSCE partners NEDC to address surge in out-of-school children

The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education (NCAOOSCE) has partnered with the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to address the surge in out-of-school children and rescue thousands of children from street begging in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, and Taraba states.

NCAOOSCE Executive Secretary, Dr. Muhammad Idris, disclosed this during a visit to NEDC Managing Director, Mohammed Alkali, in Maiduguri on Thursday.

According to him, the partnership will help address the out-of-school crisis worsened by Boko Haram insurgency, displacement, and poverty, bridging the education gap and restoring hope to the affected states.

The partnership, he said, aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s vision to eradicate out-of-school children in Nigeria.

“Our children deserve classrooms, opportunities, and a future. By joining forces with NEDC, we can build that future together,” he stated.

“This is more than a partnership—it is a shared commitment to the future of the North East. The children we save today are the leaders we will celebrate tomorrow.”

NCAOOSCE requested NEDC’s support in furnishing schools, covering operational costs, feeding, and clothing students, as well as financial backing for grassroots advocacy to raise awareness and increase school enrollment.

The Commission also proposed that one model school in each North-East state be entrusted to its care, with full management, including staff recruitment, training, and payment.

NEDC Managing Director, Mohammed Alkali, described the partnership as timely and promised to work with NCAOOSCE to tackle the rising number of out-of-school children in the North East.

He said the Commission is committed to providing quality education, rehabilitation, and social support for the people in the region, including Almajiri and out-of-school children.

Available data revealed that the North-East region remains one of the hardest hit by the out-of-school crisis, exacerbated by years of Boko Haram insurgency, with millions of children out of school, engaged in street begging, or subjected to child labour.

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