Save the Children, Kaduna Govt Unveil Out-of-School Children Mapping Report

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Kaduna State Government, in partnership with Save the Children Nigeria (SCI) and other stakeholders, is set to unveil the Out-of-School Children (OOSC) mapping report in Kaduna today and reaffirm its target to bring 100,000 children back into the classroom.

The disclosure was made at a pre-press conference held at Hotel Seventeen, Kaduna, ahead of the official launch of the report under the Reaching Out of School Children (ROOSC) project.

Mr. Duncan Harvey, Country Director of Save the Children Nigeria, said the organization is proud to partner with the state to address the crisis, describing ROOSC as a collaborative effort centered on children’s rights.

“Save the Children is proud to be part of this project. But as Ezra was saying, this is really a team effort between the state government, various donors, the project management unit, UNICEF, and many others,” Harvey said.

He explained that while some partners are leading on construction and teacher training, Save the Children’s mandate is community engagement.

“Our primary focus is engaging community members, talking to parents, working with local governments, and understanding the factors that have led to children either not enrolling or dropping out of school once they are enrolled,” he stated.

According to Harvey, the goal goes beyond infrastructure. “It’s not just about building schools; it’s about convincing parents and children that schools are safe, that they offer a quality basic education, and that the learning environment is conducive.”

He expressed confidence that with sustained collaboration, the project will not only re-enroll 100,000 children but also support them to complete their education. “We are confident that we cannot only re-engage 1cannot children in school but also support their continued education and eventual graduation, with many more children following afterward,” he said.

Harvey added that Save the Children has worked in Nigeria for 25 years and currently operates in 12 states, with programs in health and nutrition, child protection, education, water and sanitation, and livelihoods.

“For every single one of those children, they are failing to fulfill their rights to education. They are failing to reach their full potential academically. And that is why, at Save the Children, as a child rights organization, we are so passionate about the ROOSC project,” he added.

Mr. Tekdek Richard, Head of Education at Save the Children, who also spoke at the event, presented key findings from the mapping report.

“The highest contributor to children being out of school is related to household poverty,” Richard said. He noted that many boys are hawking, farming, or doing menial jobs because their parents lack livelihoods. “Why do the boys have to do that? Maybe their parents don’t have means of livelihood.”

To tackle this, Richard said the project is engaging other government structures for support to caregivers.

“Just last week, we had engagements with the SSA in charge of that, and also the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs in Abuja, so that we can find ways and means of getting some support to the parents, because we believe that if the caregivers can plug those holes of poverty, which makes them send their boys to go hawking, then it might reduce the burden,” he said.

Giving updates on infrastructure, Ezra Angai, the Project Coordinator of ROOSC, said the project will build 102 new schools and renovate 170, including learning centers and Tsangaya schools.

“So far, 42 schools are currently under construction. 16 of them are brand new schools,” Angai stated.

He listed the nine LGAs where work has commenced as Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Igabi, Jamaa, Kachia, Sabon Gari, Soba, Lere, and one other.

He said most structures have completed foundation works and are now at lintel level, with completion targeted for September. The tender process has also begun for 30 brand new schools and 60 schools to be renovated.

Angai described ROOSC as a flagship program supported by the Islamic Development Bank, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, Education Above All, and the Global Partnership for Education, with UNICEF handling system strengthening and Save the Children International leading service delivery.

“A project is only as good as your ability to sustain it beyond its lifetime,” Angai said.

Dr. Bukar Baba Alhaji, Statistician General of the Kaduna State Bureau of Statistics, explained the methodology behind the OOSC mapping. He said more than 1,200 enumerators visited over 360,000 households using digitized Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI.

“Using georeferencing and geolocation, we map out areas with a grid methodology, then visit households that are expected to have out-of-school children,” Dr. Alhaji said.

He noted that quality assurance measures included supervision, data audits, callback checks, and telephone verification.

He recalled that a 2022 mapping identified 175,215 out-of-school children, many of whom were returned to school by SUBEB.

Alhaji Baba Lawal, Director of Planning at the Ministry of Education, Kaduna State, also addressed teacher shortages. He said a needs assessment has been completed and recruitment plans are underway, with the retirement age for teachers extended from 60 to 65 for mentorship purposes.

“His Excellency has extended the years of service for teachers from 60 to 65, so that when new teachers are recruited, they can mentor the newer ones,” Lawal said.

Project officials concluded that the OOSC mapping provides evidence to guide targeted interventions and ensure that once children are brought back to school, they remain there.
“No child is left behind,” they said.