Education Minister Tunji Alausa says new household survey will provide accurate data to guide policies and interventions across Nigeria.
The Federal Government has announced plans to conduct 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 current reality.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday at the 2026 Annual Education Summit of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN) in Abuja.
According to the minister, the Federal Ministry of Education is partnering with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to generate credible data that will inform policy decisions and strengthen interventions aimed at improving access to education.
Alausa acknowledged that the widely cited estimates of between 15 million and 20 million out-of-school children require urgent review.
“We are committed to replacing assumptions with evidence-based statistics,” he said, noting that the planned household survey would provide a clearer understanding of the scale and distribution of the challenge nationwide.
The minister revealed that the Federal Government has returned more than one million out-of-school children to classrooms over the past two years but stressed that accurate data remains essential for measuring progress and designing targeted interventions.
He added that President Bola Tinubu’s administration remains committed to evidence-based policymaking and urged journalists to embrace investigative reporting to enhance accountability in the education sector.
Alausa also highlighted key reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda, including Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), digital transformation, quality assurance, and expanded access to education.
The minister further disclosed that Nigeria has recorded three consecutive years without disruptions in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, attributing the achievement to sustained engagement with tertiary institution unions.
He noted that Nigeria now has 24 universities ranked among the world’s top 1,000 institutions, up from 21, with public universities occupying the country’s top four positions.
Also speaking at the summit, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, urged journalists to support ongoing reforms through balanced and responsible reporting.
The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Aisha Garba, reiterated the commission’s commitment to ensuring every Nigerian child has access to quality education, regardless of background or location.
The summit, themed “Three Years of the President Tinubu Administration: Assessing Reforms, Progress and Challenges in Nigeria’s Education Sector,” brought together policymakers, education stakeholders and media professionals to evaluate developments within the sector.
Nigeria continues to face one of the world’s largest out-of-school children crises, driven by poverty, insecurity, inadequate infrastructure, child labour, early marriage, and limited access to quality education, particularly in rural communities.