The Sokoto State Universal Basic Education Board has stepped up efforts to reduce the high number of out-of-school children through expanded early childhood education and major reforms, according to its Executive Chairman, Umar Tambuwal.
Speaking at a media dialogue on educational reform for Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara, Tambuwal said education is central to the state’s future and that early childhood investment is key to reversing poor learning outcomes. He explained that the years from birth to eight are critical for brain development, cognitive growth and emotional stability, especially for disadvantaged children.
Tambuwal warned that lack of early learning opportunities increases the risk of school dropouts and fuels the rise in out-of-school children. He said that with UNICEF support, the board assisted 160 Early Childhood Care and Education centres in 2024 and 2025 with teaching materials and caregiver training, while UNICEF has committed to support 80 more centres. The board plans to triple the number of supported centres in 2026.
He acknowledged the scale of the challenge, noting that 66.4 per cent of school-aged children in Sokoto are currently out of school. So far, the government has documented about 25 per cent of these children for reintegration through a mapping exercise across the 23 local government areas, focusing on vulnerable groups such as girls, orphans and Almajiri pupils.
Tambuwal said the state has made basic education free and compulsory, scrapped school levies, prioritised teacher recruitment and launched programmes like the Digital Village to equip Almajiri children and out-of-school girls with digital skills. He added that the AGILE Project has given infrastructure grants to 240 secondary schools to improve facilities and learning conditions across the state.
He also highlighted integrated schools in Shuni, Gagi, Tambuwal and Wamakko, which combine Qur’anic education with literacy, numeracy and vocational skills and provide free accommodation and feeding for students. Three mega model schools are being established in each senatorial zone: Aliyu Magatakarda in Wamakko, Muhammad Sambo in Goronyo and Government Day Junior Secondary in Tambuwal.
According to him, each mega school will have 60 classrooms, science laboratories and playgrounds, and will be staffed with qualified teachers selected from a pool of 3,000 candidates. He said the state’s dashboard on out-of-school children has so far captured 326,119 children between 2024 and 2025 and called on the Federal Government and the Universal Basic Education Commission to adopt the Sokoto model nationwide.
Tambuwal described educating every child as both a development priority and a moral duty, as well as a foundation for national security, and urged media support for planned Almajiri reform legislation and revival of school feeding programmes.
UNICEF’s Dr Michael Juma praised the Sokoto government for its initiatives and stressed the role of the media in promoting early childhood education, digital empowerment and enrolment campaigns. The wife of the Sokoto State Governor, Fatima Aliyu, represented by the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Ala Ahmed, reaffirmed support for inclusive education, stronger advocacy and partnerships to cut the number of out-of-school children.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the two-day workshop was organised by the Sokoto State Universal Basic Education Board in partnership with UNICEF and funded by the European Union, with participants drawn from SUBEB staff, NGOs, civil society groups, government agencies and the media in Kebbi, Zamfara and Sokoto States.
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