Alausa Unveils Plan for Nationwide Education Survey, Highlights Sector Reforms
The Federal Government has announced plans to conduct a nationwide household survey to establish the actual number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
judithhh
Federal Government will conduct a nationwide household survey with the National Bureau of Statistics to determine the actual number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa has announced.
Speaking on Wednesday at the 2026 Annual Education Summit of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria in Abuja, Alausa said the Federal Ministry of Education was partnering with the National Bureau of Statistics to generate reliable data that would guide policy decisions and interventions in the sector.
The minister admitted that the widely cited estimates of out-of-school children required updating, stressing that the government was committed to replacing assumptions with credible, evidence-based statistics.
According to him, the nationwide household survey would provide a clearer picture of the magnitude and distribution of the challenge, enabling the government to design more targeted interventions to improve access to education.
Dr Alausa noted that although the government had succeeded in returning more than one million out-of-school children to classrooms over the past two years, obtaining accurate data remained critical to measuring progress and addressing the problem effectively
Estimates put the country’s out-of-school children at between 15 million and about 20 million.
Alausa said President Bola Tinubu’s administration was committed to evidence-based policymaking, stressing that access to accurate data should empower both the media and citizens to demand greater accountability from public officeholders.
The minister said journalists must move beyond routine event coverage to investigative reporting that highlights gaps in the education sector and tracks government performance using verifiable evidence.
According to him, quality journalism backed by credible data would not only strengthen accountability but also improve education outcomes across the country.
Alausa also highlighted reforms being implemented under the Renewed Hope Agenda, including Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, digital transformation, quality assurance, improved education governance and expanding access to education.
He noted that Nigeria had recorded three consecutive years without disruption of academic activities in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, attributing the achievement to sustained engagement with tertiary institution unions.
The minister also disclosed that Nigeria now has 24 universities ranked among the world’s top 1,000 institutions, compared with 21 previously, with public universities occupying the country’s top four positions.
Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the world, making the issue a major national development challenge.
Despite years of government interventions, millions of children remain outside the formal education system due to poverty, insecurity, cultural barriers, inadequate school infrastructure, child labour, early marriage, displacement caused by conflict, and weak access to quality education, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
