Nigeria to Map Households to Track Out-of-School Children

The Nigerian federal government plans to map households nationwide to collect accurate data on children who are not attending school [1, 2].

This initiative represents a fundamental shift in how the country tracks educational gaps. By moving away from broad estimates, officials aim to identify the exact location and number of children missing from the classroom to better allocate resources and interventions.

Minister of Education Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa said the government will end the long-standing practice of relying on estimates to determine the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria ^[1]. The government intends to implement a system that provides a granular view of the crisis rather than relying on statistical projections.

To achieve this, the federal government will adopt a household mapping model previously utilized by Kaduna State [2, 3]. This specific approach allows the government to pinpoint individual children and the homes where they reside.

Alausa said the initiative is "a data-driven household mapping model that will accurately identify every out-of-school child and the household where they live" ^[1].

The nationwide exercise [1, 2] will involve systematic data collection across all regions of the country. This process is designed to eliminate the ambiguity associated with previous reporting methods, ensuring that no child remains invisible to the state's educational planning services.

By identifying the specific households involved, the ministry can analyze the socio-economic factors contributing to school absenteeism. This targeted approach is expected to streamline the delivery of educational support and government aid to the most affected areas.