Bauchi Launches Drive to Bring 100,000 Out-of-School Children Back to Classrooms
For as many as 100,000 children currently out of school in Bauchi State, the classroom could soon become their new destination as education authorities launch a fresh campaign to get them enrolled, retained and supported through completion.
The 2026 Enrolment Drive Campaign (EDC) is targeting 100,000 out-of-school children across the state’s 20 Local Government Areas, representing about half of the more than 200,000 out-of-school children estimated to be in the basic education sector.
The annual campaign, being implemented by the Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, is aimed at encouraging parents and communities to enrol school-age children and ensure they remain in school.
Speaking at the commencement of the exercise, the Director of Social Mobilisation, SUBEB, Malam Nura Ahmad, said the campaign would go beyond simply getting children into classrooms.
He said the priority was to ensure that children who are enrolled remain in school and eventually complete their education.
“Our main focus this year is to ensure that the children are retained in school, not only enrolment. They are enrolled and they retain up to completion,” Ahmad said.
He added that following the government’s employment of teachers, the state had provided essential teaching and learning materials to support the new intake.
According to him, books, school shoes, bags and other learning materials have been made available for children enrolled under the 2026 campaign.
The campaign is also taking education mobilisation beyond schools and into traditional institutions and communities.
The Executive Chairman of SUBEB, Alhaji Abubakar Isa, represented by Permanent Commissioner II, Alhaji Idris Hardawa, said the board had visited Emirates and Chiefdoms across the state to secure the support of traditional rulers in bringing children back to school.
“As part of collaboration with UNICEF, we have embarked on advocacy visits to all the Emirates and Chiefdom in Bauchi State to seek for their fatherly advice and support in bringing back children to school and ensuring their retention and completion,” he said.
The Northeast Zonal Director of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Alhaji Abdullahi Jarma, also pledged the commission’s continued support for school infrastructure, monitoring of teaching and learning, and implementation of policies aimed at improving enrolment, retention and completion.
He appealed to parents and community leaders to ensure that school-age children, including those living in remote communities, are enrolled.
“I hope from today parents and other critical stakeholders will ensure school-aged children in all nooks and crannies of the state, including local communities, are enrolled in school to ensure a brighter future and proper upbringing,” Jarma said.
UNICEF also announced plans for a statewide census of children in and out of school to help the government obtain more reliable data for education planning.
UNICEF representative, Malam Abdurrahman Ado, said the organisation would continue supporting Bauchi State’s efforts to achieve a zero out-of-school children target through monitoring, awareness and community engagement.
“We will visit all the 20 LGAs in the state to take the exact number of all the children enrolled in school for the 2026 academic session and at the end of it we will present the figures to the state government for the next line of action,” he said.
Stakeholders, including the Galadiman Bauchi and Chairman of the Education Committee, Bauchi Local Government Area, Surveyor Saidu Jahun; SUBEB Secretary, Iliyasu Buba; and SBMC Chairman, Bauchi LGA, Malam Isiaka Sambo, called for stronger grassroots mobilisation.
They stressed that getting children into school could help reduce exposure to anti-social behaviour among teenagers and young people while giving them a better chance of building productive futures.
The 2026 Enrolment Drive Campaign, themed “Bauchi SUBEB Reaching Every Child – Leaving No Child Behind,” featured the enrolment and registration of new school-age children, a match-past, drama and poetry presentations.
For Bauchi, the campaign is ultimately about more than numbers. It is about giving children who have missed out on school another opportunity to learn, grow and build a future beyond the circumstances that kept them away from the classroom.
