WorldStage— The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmed has said the Ministry of Education is targeting children outside the formal education system for interventions.
Making the disclosure at a media conference in Abuja on Friday, she noted that existing estimates of out-of-school children range from about 10 million to more than 20 million, underscoring the need for reliable national data.
She said the Ministry is therefore developing a national education data platform alongside a nationwide mapping exercise.
“The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education and the National Commission for Nomadic Education have completed their respective mapping exercises, while the Agency for Mass Education is nearing completion,” she stated.
Prof. Ahmed said the mapping is being linked directly to enrolment and intervention rather than treated solely as data collection. Traditional and religious leaders are also being engaged to help reach communities where significant numbers of children remain outside the formal school system.
Speaking further on the intervention agenda, she said: “One practical response is the establishment of bilingual schools combining religious and conventional education.
The initiative is being prioritised in eight states with some of the highest numbers of out-of-school children, with three schools planned in each state and four in two of the states.
The schools are designed with boarding capacities of about 1,500 to 2,000 learners.”
Prof. Ahmed disclosed that the model is already operational in Maiduguri and Kano, with preparations ongoing in the other participating states.
She also outlined the Almajiri Policy, which clarifies the responsibilities of the Federal Government, state and local governments, parents and communities in providing education for children in the Almajiri system.
A key component is the integration of religious and conventional education through an Accelerated Basic Education Curriculum that condenses basic education into four levels while accommodating learners who enter the system at an older age.
The policy also provides a minimum age for entry into Alharma schools and was developed through consultations with Islamic sects, Alharma teachers and other stakeholders. Its objective is to provide children with both religious and conventional education while progressively recognising and integrating Alharma teachers and clerics into the wider education framework.
Beyond formal academic pathways, she added, the Ministry is expanding Technical and Vocational Education and Training as part of its human capital development strategy.
Prof. Ahmed said a national skills-gap assessment identified about 40 trades, with 25 prioritised for immediate attention, disclosing that the first application cycle attracted about 1.3 million applications, with more than 100,000 beneficiaries trained through public and private training centres.
“Participating centres received ₦30,000 per trainee while beneficiaries received ₦22,500 for transportation. The second cohort attracted about 1.8 million applications, with support increased to ₦50,000 per trainee for participating centres and ₦30,000 for beneficiaries. Participants are expected to undergo assessment under the National Skills Qualification Framework and receive starter packs to support transition into employment or enterprise,” she explained.
According to her, the Ministry is also promoting innovation and entrepreneurship among university students.
Ahmed also highlighted the Student Venture Capital Grant, which provides up to ₦50 million for students with scalable innovation projects.
She also cited the Entrepreneurship, Business and Innovation Centre programme, which began at the University of Lagos and is being expanded to 16 additional universities to provide entrepreneurship training, mentoring and access to funding alongside academic study.
According to the Minister of State, data and digitalisation are central to monitoring the reforms, adding that the Ministry is strengthening learner-level data, digitising processes and expanding electronic monitoring to improve planning, resource allocation and assessment of results.
School grading, national assessments and e-monitoring will provide evidence on learning outcomes, teacher development, access and institutional performance, allowing interventions to be assessed on measurable results rather than simply the number of programmes introduced, she stated.
Prof. Ahmed said the reforms will ultimately be measured by improvements in learning outcomes, stronger teacher capacity, expanded access to education, increased skills opportunities and a reduction in the number of children excluded from the education system.
Drawing from her experience as a product of Nigeria’s public university system, she underscored the importance of maintaining public education as a pathway to opportunity and human capital development.
She reaffirmed her commitment to working with the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, to sustain the reform momentum and ensure that policies and programmes translate into tangible outcomes for learners, teachers and institutions.
Ahmed said the Federal Government remains committed to strengthening the foundations of Nigeria’s education system and ensuring that the reforms contribute to the realisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda through improved education, skills development, human capital growth and expanded opportunities for Nigerians.
