Musa: Why Transit School Strategies Should be Integrated into National Education Framework to Tackle Out-of-school Crisis

Tijjani Mukaddas is the founder of Transit School, which is dedicated to supporting out-of-school children in the North-Central. In this interview with Funmi Ogundare, the Hubert Humphrey fellow highlighted the efforts he made towards changing the lives of vulnerable children and why it is important for the programme to be formally adopted and its strategies integrated into the country’s national education framework to address the out-of-school children crisis

What inspired you to start Transit School, and what was your initial vision for the initiative?

The inspiration for the Transit School came from observing children in my community roaming the streets when they should have been in school. My community, located on the border between the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Niger State, is home to migrants and internally displaced families who fled conflicts in the North-West and parts of the North-East of Nigeria. This includes areas Dakwa, Tungan Kwasau, and Tungan Galadima. After the COVID-19 lockdown in 2021, I noticed an alarming number of children who had either never attended school or had dropped out due to financial constraints. The community had only one public primary school and one junior secondary school, which were inadequate to accommodate the growing number of children. Many of these children were engaged in street scavenging, carrying plastic bags to collect used iron, aluminium, or scrap plastic to earn money for their families. Others, particularly young girls, were seen hawking food or other items on the streets, exposing them to risks such as abuse, exploitation, and drug use. As an educator with years of classroom experience, I understood the dangers of these activities and the importance of education in breaking this cycle.
Driven by this realisation, I decided to support these children by starting the Transit School. Initially, we conducted classes under a tree in our community. My first vision was to ensure that every child in the community could go to school, regardless of their circumstances. To encourage participation, I even enrolled my first daughter in the Transit school alongside the first group of out-of-school children. My ultimate goal was to see our streets empty of roaming children during school hours and to create a future where every child in our community, no matter their background, has access to education.

You have had to dedicate 80 per cent of your salary to supporting vulnerable children. How did you manage this financially, and what sacrifices did it involve?

While basic education in Nigeria is officially free and compulsory, the reality is that families still face costs for school supplies and uniforms, which can be significant barriers. Managing the Transit School required funds not only for these essentials but also for employing volunteer teachers to help identify and enrol out-of-school children. To support this initiative, I devoted 80 per cent of my salary from my role as an education officer with the FCT Administration. To make this sustainable, I worked as a satellite technician on weekends, earning additional income to offset the amount I spent on the program. This extra work involved sacrifices in time and energy, but the joy of seeing young minds gain access to education made it all worthwhile. Spending my resources to change the lives of vulnerable children has always been a source of pride and fulfillment for me. It has not only transformed the lives of the children but has also inspired hope in the community that every child deserves a chance to learn and succeed.

Could you explain how Nigeria’s polio eradication campaign inspires the approach used by Transit School?

Nigeria successfully eradicated polio in 2020, and I was privileged to serve as one of the volunteers in that campaign. The success of the polio eradication effort was largely due to culturally relevant strategies such as community engagement, house-to-house visits, and sensitisation programmes. I realised that these same methods could be applied to tackle the crisis of out-of-school children in Nigeria. Drawing from this experience, we engage community leaders and appoint them as chairpersons for our volunteer teams. Their leadership has been instrumental in searching for out-of-school children and addressing cultural behaviours that hinder parents from prioritising education, particularly for girls. By adopting these strategies from the polio eradication campaign, we’ve been able to build trust within the community, encourage parents to send their children to school and provide the necessary support to make education accessible.

What have been some of the most challenging moments you’ve faced in identifying and enrolling out-of-school children?

Running the Transit School as a mobile outreach programme presents numerous challenges. One of the most pressing is the lack of a permanent site. We currently operate under trees, and during the rainy season, classes are often disrupted, significantly affecting our operations. Another challenge is the lengthy time some children spend in the Transit School while waiting for sponsors. We link these children to local sponsors who cover school fees, uniforms, and other expenses. However, finding the right sponsor can be a time-consuming process. Cultural barriers are also significant. Some parents, especially those with girls, are resistant to our support because they do not prioritise girls’ education. Convincing them to see the value of education takes time and persistent engagement. There’s also a lack of trust when working with some local organisations. Many believe that NGOs exist solely to make money rather than genuinely support out-of-school children. This scepticism creates hurdles in forming partnerships. Moreover, the Transit School has not yet received formal recognition from the government despite the significant impact we’ve made in complementing their efforts.

How do you engage with the local community to identify out-of-school children?

Community engagement is at the core of our approach. The community leader plays a vital role, often taking the lead in our outreach efforts. They accompany us to ensure that families accept our offers and are willing to engage with us. We’ve also developed a demographic profile of our community, which includes accurate data on the number of school-age children who are out of school. This data allows us to focus our efforts and provide targeted interventions. By involving the community leader and maintaining open communication with parents, we’ve been able to build trust and make meaningful progress in identifying and enrolling out-of-school children.

Can you share some success stories of children who have transitioned from Transit School into formal education, if any?

Yes, we are proud to share several success stories of children who have transitioned from Transit School to formal education and achieved remarkable milestones. For instance, Nura Yusuf and Aisha Malami were recipients of the AI Foundation Scholarship and the APT security scholarship, which enabled them to continue their education. Many young girls who began their journey at Transit School are now in Senior Secondary School three (SS3) and are on track to graduate, demonstrating the program’s transformative impact. What makes these stories even more inspiring is how some of these students have returned to give back to the community. After experiencing the life-changing opportunities provided by Transit School, several have volunteered to assist in the school, helping to identify out-of-school children and supporting their integration into education. They have become role models, inspiring other children and families to value education. In addition, some students who transitioned from Transit School have joined their family businesses, using the basic education and skills they acquired to contribute meaningfully to their households’ livelihoods. These stories highlight how Transit School is not just an educational intervention but a community-transforming initiative that builds a cycle of empowerment and positive change. We are also thrilled to share that Transit School has already achieved 95 per cent of school enrolment for out-of-school children in the Tungan Kwasau community. By the end of February, we anticipate achieving zero out-of-school children in this community, making it the first in Nigeria to accomplish such a milestone. This would be a significant moment not only for the Transit School program but also for the national education landscape.

How has the Humphrey Fellowship opportunity influenced your work with Transit School?

Being selected for the prestigious Humphrey Fellowship Programme in the United States was a transformative experience for me. I spent a year at one of the top universities in the U.S., where I engaged with the university community and interned with leading organizations. Through this internship, I learned about innovative education programmes, including after-school initiatives, which I brought back to my community. As a result, in addition to the Transit School, we established an after-school programme to address a critical gap in our community: the lack of a senior secondary school. Many children in our area drop out after completing junior secondary school because the nearest public senior secondary school is two to three kilometres away. For families unable to afford transportation, continuing education becomes an impossible challenge. To bridge this gap, the after-school programme (evening school) provides a local alternative, enabling senior students to continue their education. The Humphrey Fellowship enhanced my ability to implement these transformative initiatives and further strengthened my resolve to address the educational barriers in my community.

Going forward, what is your vision for the future of Transit School, and what impact could it have on education in Nigeria?

My vision is to see the Transit School programme formally adopted and its strategies integrated into Nigeria’s national education framework. This would ensure that the program’s innovative and culturally relevant methods for addressing the out-of-school children (OOSC) crisis are scaled up and institutionalised across the country. Additionally, I envision international development partners such as USAID, UNESCO, and UNICEF recognising the proven effectiveness of the Transit School model and incorporating its strategies into their ongoing and future educational programmes in Nigeria. Redirecting resources and efforts toward successful, community-driven interventions like Transit School can significantly enhance the impact of their initiatives in combating the OOSC crisis. Ultimately, my goal is to see a Nigeria where no child is out of school, with every child receiving equitable access to quality education. Achieving a zero OOSC figure is not just a dream but a necessity for Nigeria’s progress and sustainable development.