18th August, 2025 – Kano State Government has inaugurated an 18-member Kano State Out-of-School Children Education Initiative Committee as part of efforts to tackle the growing menace of children not attending school.
Since the beginning of the administration of Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, several interventions have been introduced by the government, development partners, and civil society organizations to reduce the rate of out-of-school children in the state.
Inaugurating the committee on Monday in his office, the State Commissioner of Education, Dr. Ali Haruna Makoda, explained that the initiative is designed to address the challenges of reaching children and youth who were never enrolled or who dropped out of the formal education system.
A statement issued by the Director of Public Enlightenment of the Ministry, Balarabe Abdullahi Kiru, quoted the Commissioner saying that the committee has been mandated to increase access to education, ensure re-enrollment of school dropouts, expand learning opportunities, and improve the quality of education across the state.
The statement further noted that the committee will also work on developing foundational skills, life skills, and employment opportunities for every child.
It added that part of its mandate is to address the root causes of out-of-school children by tackling poverty and reducing child labour, which remain major barriers to education.
“This committee is assigned to come up with a clear process of tackling security concerns and encouragement of community engagement to achieve better education in the state,” the statement added.
The committee will be chaired by the Technical Adviser to the Governor on Education Reform, Haladu Muhammad, and includes members drawn from government agencies, traditional institutions, academia, development partners, and civil society organizations.
Dr. Makoda urged the newly inaugurated members to work diligently and ensure that the state’s vision for better access to education is realized.
In his response, the Chairman of the committee, Haladu Muhammad, who was represented by the State Lead of PLANE (Partnership for Learning for All in Nigerian Education) FCDO, Umar Lawan, assured the Commissioner that the committee would remain committed to justifying the confidence reposed in them and deliver on the expectations of the state government.