UBEC enlists traditional, religious leaders to tackle out-of-school crisis
AI Executive Briefing
Verified Synthesis~56s readThe commission said the initiative would also involve community-level monitoring of pupils’ attendance, retention and completion to ensure that children enrolled in schools did not drop out. The Universal Basic Education Commission has moved to enlist traditional rulers and religious leaders in the campaign against out-of-school children, seeking to leverage their influence to identify children not attending school and facilitate their enrolment across the country.
Context & Background
- ✦She said the agreement would also introduce accountability mechanisms to recognise communities, schools and traditional leaders that demonstrate measurable progress in improving access to basic education.
Key Figures & Named Entities
Thursday:The development was contained in a statement issued by the Office of the Executive Secretary of UBEC on Thursday, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the commission and the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development.2025:UNICEF’s 2025 Nigeria Annual Report identified 10.2 million out-of-school children, with 45 per cent of them in the North-West and 28 per cent in the North-East.2026:In May 2026, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the Federal Government had returned more than one million children to classrooms within 30 months through its interventions.
Outlook & Next Steps
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Key Takeaways
Verified Extract- The commission said the initiative would also involve community-level monitoring of pupils’ attendance, retention and completion to ensure that children enrolled in schools did not drop out.
- The Universal Basic Education Commission has moved to enlist traditional rulers and religious leaders in the campaign against out-of-school children, seeking to leverage their influence to identify children not attending school and facilitate their enrolment across the country.
- She said the agreement would also introduce accountability mechanisms to recognise communities, schools and traditional leaders that demonstrate measurable progress in improving access to basic education.
Key Facts:Thursday: The development was contained in a statement issued by the Office of the Executive Secretary of UBEC on Thursday, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the commission and the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development.2025: UNICEF’s 2025 Nigeria Annual Report identified 10.2 million out-of-school children, with 45 per cent of them in the North-West and 28 per cent in the North-East.2026: In May 2026, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the Federal Government had returned more than one million children to classrooms within 30 months through its interventions.2025: However, the scale of the challenge remains significant, with UNICEF reporting that only 70 per cent of Nigerian children and young people aged three to 24 attended school in 2025.
Editorial Excerpt
The Universal Basic Education Commission has partnered with traditional and religious leaders to tackle Nigeria's out-of-school children crisis through enr
Frequently Asked Questions About This Story
What is the latest development regarding Lagos State?
The commission said the initiative would also involve community-level monitoring of pupils’ attendance, retention and completion to ensure that children enrolled in schools did not drop out.
Who are the key organizations or public figures mentioned?
The primary parties identified in this coverage include Lagos State, Kebbi State.
What timeline or key figures were confirmed?
The development was contained in a statement issued by the Office of the Executive Secretary of UBEC on Thursday, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the commission and the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development.
