As part of efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children, the Kaduna State Government has unveiled plans to return over 100,000 children to classrooms over the next four years under the Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROOSC) programme.

This was disclosed during a two-day ROOSC workshop for media practitioners held in collaboration with Save the Children at Alhasan Metro Hotel, Kaduna, over the weekend.

Declaring the workshop open, Salisu Baba Lawal, a representative of the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, revealed that the ROOSC is a four-year initiative which began in April 2024 and will run until 2028.

He explained that the programme aims to boost pupil enrolment, improve teaching quality, create a safe and enabling learning environment, and strengthen the education system for better performance.

“So far, we are targeting nine Local Government Areas (LGAs)—three from each of the three Senatorial Zones in the state. We’ve trained 405 teachers and will train more because we believe that qualified teachers are essential to the success of the programme,” Lawal stated.

According to him, 102 schools have already been constructed, while another 170 schools are currently being renovated.

He emphasised the Kaduna State Government’s commitment to bringing children roaming the streets back to school, stating, “We are working with Save the Children and UNICEF to achieve this goal.”

“It is the commitment of the state government to ensure that every child attends school regardless of their background. The media is very critical to achieving the overall goals of the ROOSC project,” he added.

Also speaking, the Project Director of ROOSC, Save the Children International (SCI), Mr Emmanuel Mbursa Madu, noted that the project is a multi-donor initiative supporting Kaduna State in the inclusive and equitable provision of quality primary education for all children of official primary school age (6–11 years), adolescents, and young adults (12–18 years).

He stated that the project’s strategies and interventions are gender-sensitive, pro-poor, and promote inclusivity in primary education delivery.

“This is a partnership between Save the Children International (SCI), UNICEF, and other stakeholders to address the pressing issue of out-of-school children,” Madu said.

He further observed that the ROOSC project is a key initiative of the Kaduna State Government, championed by the Executive Governor, Senator Uba Sani, to tackle the challenge of out-of-school children across the state.