The Federal Government will carry out a nationwide household survey to determine the actual number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, saying existing estimates no longer accurately reflect the country’s education reality.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the initiative on Wednesday at the 2026 Annual Education Summit of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN) in Abuja.
He said the survey, to be conducted by the Federal Ministry of Education in partnership with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), will generate credible data to guide education planning, policy formulation and targeted interventions.
Alausa said the government was committed to replacing assumptions with verified statistics, noting that an accurate national database would help identify the scale and distribution of the challenge and improve resource allocation.
The minister disclosed that government interventions had returned more than one million out-of-school children to classrooms over the past two years but stressed that reliable data remained essential for measuring progress.
Nigeria is estimated to have between 15 million and 20 million out-of-school children, among the highest figures globally.
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He said the Tinubu administration was committed to evidence-based policymaking and urged education journalists to embrace investigative, data-driven reporting that promotes accountability and tracks policy implementation.
Alausa also highlighted key reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda, including expanded Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), greater investment in STEM education, digital transformation, stronger quality assurance, improved governance and wider access to education.
He added that tertiary institutions had maintained uninterrupted academic calendars for three consecutive years through sustained engagement with education unions and revealed that 24 Nigerian universities are now ranked among the world’s top 1,000 institutions, up from 21.
Speaking at the summit, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, called for balanced and responsible reporting, describing education as the foundation of economic growth, poverty reduction and national development.
UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to ensuring every Nigerian child has access to quality basic education, while NUJ FCT Council Chairman, Grace Ike, urged stronger collaboration among stakeholders to address challenges facing the sector.
Earlier, ECAN Chairman, Chuks Ukwauta, said the summit was convened to assess reforms, achievements and outstanding challenges in Nigeria’s education sector under the Tinubu administration.