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From Sola Ojo, Abuja
Education stakeholders in Kaduna State have called for urgent, coordinated reforms to address persistent challenges in access, quality and equity, as new data show that over 700,000 children of basic school age remain out of school across the state.
The call was made at a forum organised to mark the 2026 International Day of Education by the Kaduna Basic Education Accountability Mechanism (KADBEAM) and the Kaduna Local Governments Accountability Mechanism (KAD-LGAM), with support from the Partnership for Learning for All (PLANE) through the Beta Nigeria Campaign.
The meeting, which brought together government officials, civil society organisations, development partners, parents, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), pupils and the media, focused on strengthening accountability and youth participation in education governance.
Speaking at the event, the Director of Public Schools in the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, Mukthar Maude, said education must be treated as a collective responsibility and not left to government alone.
Maude said communities, families and development partners must play active roles in protecting education as a fundamental right and ensuring that policies respond to current realities.
He added that young people should be involved in shaping education systems, noting that youth participation was critical to building inclusive and future-ready schools.
Also speaking, Hauwa’u Muhammad of the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (KADSUBEB) said collaboration across institutions was improving learning outcomes, but warned that sustained partnerships were needed to support teachers and learners effectively.
She said leadership within the basic education system was working to integrate new ideas and innovations to strengthen service delivery.
The Director-General of the Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority (KSSQAA), Prof. Abubakar Zaria, acknowledged that while some progress had been recorded, major gaps remained in quality assurance and learning outcomes.
Zaria, represented by Mercy Kude, said the authority was committed to improving standards in both public and private schools through continuous monitoring and support for educators.
Presenting data on the state of education in Kaduna, Alheri Waje, Lead of the Education Cohort of KAD-LGAM, said more than 768,000 children of basic school age were currently out of school, particularly in rural and insecure communities.
Waje said poor learning outcomes, teacher shortages, inadequate infrastructure and lack of water and sanitation facilities were undermining attendance, retention and learner dignity.
She recommended increased education funding, targeted literacy programmes, continuous teacher training, incentives for rural postings and community awareness campaigns, especially to boost girls’ enrolment.
On his part, the Coordinator of the Reaching Out-of-School Children Project (ROOSC) in Kaduna, Dr Ezra Angai, said government interventions had reduced out-of-school numbers in recent years.
Angai said earlier estimates of over 700,000 out-of-school children had dropped to under 200,000 at the basic education level, following school construction, rehabilitation, accelerated learning centres and teacher development programmes.
He said the reforms had positioned Kaduna as one of the leading states in education transformation efforts.
The Team Lead of PLANE, Mrs Diana Agabi, described education as a key driver of social and economic development, urging stakeholders to sustain collaboration in order to expand access for every child.
Agabi, represented by Musa Jimoh, said the diversity of participants at the forum reflected a shared commitment to improving education outcomes in the state.
Similarly, Friday Odey of the Beta Nigeria Campaign said evidence-based advocacy was necessary to push for reforms in teacher quality, learning outcomes and education financing.
He warned that without stronger societal engagement, progress in reducing out-of-school populations might not be sustained.
Earlier, the Acting Secretary of KADBEAM, Mr Simeon Olatunde, said the forum was designed to amplify youth and community voices and generate Kaduna-specific advocacy priorities for education reform.
Olatunde said the engagement would also produce policy briefs to guide follow-up actions with education agencies, local governments and oversight institutions.
Participants agreed that achieving inclusive and equitable education in Kaduna would require sustained political will, improved accountability and long-term partnerships beyond government interventions.
