Kaduna to Return 200,000 Out-of-School Children, Including Children with Disabilities, to Classrooms

The Kaduna State Government has launched an ambitious project to return at least 200,000 out-of-school children, including children living with disabilities (PWDs), back to school through its Return Out-of-School Children (ROOSC) initiative.

The programme, spearheaded by the state’s Ministry of Education in partnership with Save the Children and UNICEF, aims to address the growing number of children excluded from formal education.

Speaking at a media briefing on Monday, Emmanuel Mbursa, Project Director at Save the Children, said the project would assess school-age children with disabilities and provide assistive devices to support inclusive learning.

“We’re working closely with disability agencies and hospitals—especially those focused on eye and hearing care—to eliminate learning barriers. Teachers will also be trained in inclusive education so every child’s needs are met in the classroom,” Mbursa explained.

Ezra Angai, ROOSC’s Project Coordinator, emphasized the urgency of the initiative, noting that the out-of-school population in Kaduna remains high. The goal is to reintegrate 200,000 children over the next four years across all 23 Local Government Areas in the state.

To improve access to education, the project will:

Construct 102 new schools

Renovate 170 existing schools and learning centres

Integrate basic literacy, numeracy, and life skills into Quranic (Tsangaya) schools

Use the Accelerated Basic Education Programme to fast-track learning for children in informal settings, such as almajiris, over a 9-month period

The initiative also involves large-scale teacher training. According to Angai, both educators and quality assurance officers have undergone capacity-building programmes to improve classroom outcomes. The project will also provide 500,000 teaching and learning materials.

Angai added that Save the Children will lead efforts to enhance the quality of learning, while UNICEF focuses on system strengthening, including developing a state education database to track student enrollment and progress.

“The database will support better planning and ensure no child falls through the cracks,” he said.

Punch

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