Kaduna Has 500,000 Out-of-school Children, Says Governor

Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani has said of 14 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, 500,000 are in the state.

Sani said while other states have a higher number of such children compared to Kaduna, his administration is committed to providing education opportunities, particularly for girls.

The governor shared this after a groundbreaking and foundation laying ceremony for 62 new Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) as part of the first phase of the World Bank-founded Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project across the state’s 23 Local Government Areas on Thursday in the state.

He stated: “We are here for the construction of schools in Rigachikun. The essence is to ensure that everybody is allowed to acquire education because as you are aware, Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the whole world.

 “This is because, as we speak, we have about 14 million out-of-school children. In Kaduna state, we have about 500,000. Many states have more than Kaduna state, but in Kaduna, we are very proactive.

“That is why we reach out to all the rural local governments to ensure that the program is situated in rural areas to give opportunities to our children,” the governor said.

AGILE’s key components include establishing safe and accessible learning spaces, fostering an empowering environment for girls, and strengthening project management and systems. In total, additional 93 new schools will be constructed before the end of the AGILE Project in 2025.

The state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Sani Bello praised the state governor and the partners for efforts in advancing education across the state.