The Bauchi State Government has announced a significant reduction in the number of out of school children, from over 1.7 million to 216,000, describing the achievement as a historic milestone in the state’s education reform efforts.
The Chairman of the Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Alhaji Adamu Muhammad Duguri, disclosed this while addressing journalists on the achievements recorded in the sector, particularly under the 2025/2026 Statewide Enrolment Drive.
Represented by the Board’s Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Abdulhameed Jibrin, Duguri explained that the reduction over 85 per cent from the inherited baseline has restored the fundamental right to education for more than 1.2 million children across the state.
“For many years, Bauchi State faced a deeply rooted challenge of high numbers of out of school children. At its peak, the figure exceeded 1.7 million due to systemic neglect, weak enforcement of compulsory education laws, poverty, and socio-cultural barriers,” he said. “Today, through deliberate leadership, coordinated reforms, and strong community ownership, the number has dropped to 216,000 as of December, 2025.”
According to the chairman, the 2025-2026 Statewide Enrolment Drive was designed as a comprehensive reform programme rather than a routine campaign. While the initial enrolment target was set at 220,000 children, actual enrolment reached 284,000 learners, achieving a 129 percent performance rate.
Duguri attributed the success to a multi-sectoral, data-driven approach supported by attendance monitoring systems, early warning mechanisms, and coordinated stakeholder engagement. He emphasized that a defining feature of the reform was the active involvement of traditional leadership structures.
“Emirate Councils, District Heads, Ward Heads, Village Heads, and Hamlet Heads were engaged as frontline partners in enrolment enforcement, attendance monitoring, child protection, and community mobilisation,” he said. “This approach brought governance closer to the people and ensured education became a shared responsibility.”
Special focus was also placed on equity and inclusion, particularly in addressing barriers to girls’ education. Through targeted interventions such as the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) and the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programmes, the state recorded significant improvements in enrolment, retention, and transition rates among adolescent girls, helping to reduce gender disparities across the state.
“What we present today goes beyond figures. It signifies a moral and social triumph. Bauchi State has moved from an education system once defined by limited access to one firmly grounded in enrolment, retention, seamless transition, completion, and strong community participation,” Dunguri concluded.
