Nigerian Government Disputes UNICEF's Out-of-School Figures

The Nigerian government, through Minister of Education Tunji Alausa, has rejected UNICEF's estimate of 15 million out-of-school children, claiming the actual number is below 8 million. Alausa stated that a nationwide mapping exercise conducted by the federal government has identified the actual number of school children, with significant reductions in estimates.

For example, in Kaduna State, the previous estimate of 1.8 million out-of-school children has been revised to approximately 700,000 following verification processes. Alausa emphasized the seriousness of the situation, which requires ongoing intervention, and noted that over one million children have been reintegrated into schools in the last 30 months.

The mapping exercise aims to accurately track and enroll children across states, with similar efforts in Akwa Ibom indicating lower numbers than previously reported. The government continues to implement aggressive interventions to bring children back to school.