Under the new approach, the federal ministry of education, in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), will conduct a nationwide household mapping exercise across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The exercise is expected to establish the exact number of out-of-school children, their locations and the households they belong to, replacing reliance on broad estimates.

Tunji Alausa, minister of education, announced the adoption of the model during a meeting with Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna, describing it as a significant step towards addressing one of Nigeria’s major education challenges.

Alausa said planning to tackle the out-of-school children crisis had for years been based largely on projections that did not accurately indicate where the children were located.

He said the new approach would provide verified household-level data to guide policy decisions and ensure interventions are targeted at children who need them most.

Using Kaduna as an example, the minister said previous estimates had put the number of out-of-school children in the state at about 585,000.

However, he said the household mapping exercise conducted by the Kaduna government showed that the actual figure was 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,” Alausa said.

The minister commended Sani for introducing the model, saying it had provided a clearer picture of the scale of the problem and demonstrated how accurate data could improve decision-making and service delivery in education.

He said the federal ministry was already working with the NBS to replicate the methodology nationwide.

According to Alausa, the exercise would provide the government with the information needed to improve planning, deploy resources more effectively and monitor progress in reducing the number of out-of-school children.

Sani commended Alausa and Tunji Alausa, minister of state for education, for the reforms being implemented in the sector, describing their leadership as encouraging and inspiring to state governments.

The governor also thanked President Bola Tinubu for his support for education, saying the federal government’s commitment had created momentum for reforms across the country.

Sani reaffirmed Kaduna’s commitment to working with the federal ministry to expand access to quality education, describing education as one of the most important investments any government can make.

He expressed satisfaction that Kaduna’s household mapping exercise had been adopted as a national model.

Alausa assured Nigerians that no child would be left behind in efforts to expand access to education.

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Alausa spoke at the opening of a five-day executive retreat for commissioners of education organised by the committee of states’ commissioners of education (COSCEN).

The minister said President Bola Tinubu had placed education at the centre of his renewed hope agenda by providing the political leadership and support needed to pursue reforms capable of transforming the sector.

He said while the federal government provides policy direction and strategic interventions, the responsibility for delivering quality education rests largely with the states.

“Education is the nation’s most powerful tool for economic growth, national security and sustainable development,” Alausa said.

The minister described the transition from assumption-based planning to evidence-based governance as one of the most significant reforms being implemented in the education sector.

He announced the deployment of the national education data infrastructure (NEDI) and the digitalised Nigeria education management information system (DNEMIS), saying the integrated platforms would provide real-time information on learner enrolment, teacher deployment, school infrastructure and learning outcomes.

According to him, the platforms would integrate education data from schools, local governments, states and federal institutions into a single interoperable system to guide policy decisions, budgeting, monitoring and resource allocation.

Alausa urged states to complete their annual school census using the digitised platform, commending Kaduna and Borno for their progress and encouraging other states to accelerate implementation.

He said the Federal Ministry of Education had also deployed digital dashboards and smart boards to support evidence-based planning, while the National Bureau of Statistics was providing additional analytical support.

The minister also urged commissioners to take advantage of the World Bank-supported HOPE Education Programme, which provides $552 million in performance-based financing to states that meet agreed implementation milestones.

He said all 36 states were eligible to benefit from the programme but several were yet to complete critical requirements, including signing subsidiary loan agreements, opening designated programme accounts and fulfilling mandatory data reporting obligations.

Alausa urged the commissioners to work with the education ministry and the World Bank to satisfy the programme’s requirements and unlock additional resources for improving access, learning outcomes and education governance.

He proposed that the council of state commissioners of education institutionalise quarterly review meetings to promote peer learning, monitor progress, exchange best practices and strengthen collective accountability.

Highlighting other priorities under the Nigeria education sector renewal initiative (NESRI), Alausa said the federal government is expanding access to affordable digital learning technologies, including offline instructional platforms, digital learning resources from primary one to senior secondary school and teacher support tools.

He, however, cautioned against investing exclusively in expensive smart school infrastructure without adequate provisions for sustainability and maintenance.

The minister said quality instructional materials, effective teacher support and conducive learning environments remained critical to improving learning outcomes.

Alausa said education is a shared national responsibility that transcended political affiliations and called on stakeholders to institutionalise reliable education data, strengthen accountability, invest in human capital and sustain collaborative reforms.

He urged commissioners to embrace evidence over assumptions, collaboration over isolation and continuity over fragmented reforms, saying Nigeria’s future prosperity and competitiveness would depend on the quality of education provided to its learners.

In a keynote presentation titled “Beyond the Tenure of Commissioners: Sustaining Education Reforms in the Era of Digital Disruption”, Osita Chidoka, former minister of aviation and chancellor of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, challenged commissioners to build reforms that would outlive political administrations.

Chidoka said lasting improvements in education required policy continuity, reliable data, stronger teacher development, accountability and sustained investment in learning outcomes rather than short-term interventions.

Representing Matthew Verghis, World Bank country director, Shin Nomura, senior economist and task team leader for the HOPE Education Programme, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education reform agenda.

Nomura said the programme became effective in March 2026 and was designed to improve education governance, financing, teacher development, learning outcomes and data systems through performance-based financing.

He urged states to complete all preparatory requirements to enable timely access to programme funding.

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The denial follows a newspaper report claiming that the minister was responsible for delaying the resumption of newly employed personnel.

A senior ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to comment publicly, said there was no approval for any ongoing recruitment exercise at NELFUND.

According to the source, the agency is already overstaffed, with some employees reportedly lacking office space and clearly defined responsibilities.

“We can authoritatively state that there is no approval for any recruitment exercise in the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), as the agency is overstaffed, with many personnel without office space or defined schedules of duty,” the source said.

The official described reports linking the minister to the alleged delay as “false and misleading”.

According to the source, the issue predates the minister’s involvement and was first raised during a meeting between NELFUND’s executive management and Jim Ovia, chairman of the agency’s board, in Lagos.

The source alleged that Ovia halted the recruitment process after it emerged that the exercise had not received board approval or been formally considered by the agency’s management.

The official further claimed that three executive directors requested evidence of authorisation for the recruitment from the managing director but did not receive a response.

The source also alleged that despite objections from senior officials, the managing director proceeded with the recruitment exercise and documentation outside established administrative procedures.

According to the ministry official, the board chairman directed that individuals recruited through the disputed process should not be placed on the agency’s payroll pending further review.

The source added that Ovia also ordered a comprehensive review of staff grades and ranks to ensure compliance with internal procedures.

The ministry official further alleged that after management met with the minister, the managing director held a private meeting with close aides and indicated an intention to continue with the recruitment exercise.

The source advised that the agency’s board secretary and executive director of operations could verify the directives reportedly issued during the Lagos meeting.

The official also claimed that about 80 percent of NELFUND’s workforce is currently redundant, adding that the issue was acknowledged by the agency’s leadership during a recent management meeting.

According to the source, the minister’s intervention helped prevent what was described as an organisational crisis.

NELFUND had not publicly responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.

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The directive was conveyed in a letter dated June 25, 2026, signed by Kareem O. L., acting director of university education at the ministry, on behalf of the minister of education.

According to the correspondence obtained by The Times of Abuja, the minister described the appointments as irregular and inconsistent with regulations governing federal universities in Nigeria.

He said the directive followed the ministry’s review of an internal university memorandum dated June 22, 2026, through which the appointments were reportedly made.

In the letter, the minister said the appointments were found to be at variance with extant regulations, established procedures, and the principles of due process governing appointments within the federal university system.

The vice-chancellor was directed to reverse the appointments immediately and provide documentary evidence of compliance without delay.

Alausa also summoned the vice-chancellor to Abuja for a meeting with ministry officials on June 29.

According to the letter, the meeting will address not only the disputed appointments but also broader issues relating to institutional governance, administrative accountability, due process, and compliance with regulatory requirements in federal universities.

The minister reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to transparency, prudence, and best practices in the management of tertiary institutions, expressing confidence that the university would comply with the directive.

A copy of the correspondence was forwarded to the National Universities Commission (NUC).

As of the time of filing this report, neither the management of FUTO nor the Federal Ministry of Education had issued a public statement on the matter.

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