Eno moves to reduce out-of-school children as enrollment campaign begins for new session
• Gov Eno
The Akwa Ibom State government is making significant strides to address the issue of out-of-school children by launching an enrollment campaign in preparation for the upcoming academic session.
The Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, announced this during the launch of the 2025/2026 South-South Regional Enrollment Drive and Campaign aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children in the state.
Represented by Ubong Umoh, the commissioner for education, Pastor Eno emphasised the government’s commitment to ensuring that every child in the state has access to education. He stated, “No child should be denied their right to quality education due to their circumstances of birth or economic status.”
He described education as a life-changing tool capable of lifting children out of poverty and securing the state’s future.
Eno lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the initiative and commended the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for their collaboration in tackling the menace of out-of-school children, describing the effort as critical to Nigeria’s growth and to the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (inclusive and equitable quality education for all).
“Here in Akwa Ibom State, we have intentionally approached the issue of out-of-school children holistically. That is why we have sustained the free education policy from primary to secondary level, constructed model schools with modern facilities, provided free books, uniforms and shoes, retrained our teachers, and recruited hundreds of new ones equipped with modern teaching techniques.”
He noted that the initiative had boosted school enrollment in the State within two years, highlighting ongoing construction of 31 model schools across all local government areas, with 12 already completed and 19 at various stages of execution, alongside the establishment of world-class model secondary schools across the three senatorial districts in the State.
The event, organised by UBEC in collaboration with UNICEF, marked the first regional flag-off of the campaign in the South-South zone. It brought together education stakeholders, traditional leaders, unions, and civil society representatives, all lending their voices to the urgent call for children’s enrollment, retention, and completion of basic education.
Earlier, the Chairman of Universal Basic Education Board, (SUBEB) in Akwa Ibom State, Anietie Etuk commended the governor for the various strides he has recorded in the “prompt payment of intervention funds, construction of midel primary schools,” and solicited coloration between parents, guardians and development partners to create awareness on the importance of education as the foundation for national development.
UBEC’s Secretary, Aisha Garba, represented by Ibrahim Gold, said that one of the commission’s statutory responsibilities under the UBE Act 2024 is to ensure that all categories of children, regardless of socio-economic status, are given access to quality education
She disclosed that UBEC and UNICEF had jointly developed a Framework of Action on Out-of-School Children, serving as a roadmap for innovative enrollment campaigns, best practices, and state-led interventions.
There were goodwill messages by many groups and partners, including UNICEF, which restated the organisation’s commitment to supporting governments across Nigeria in ensuring that every child enrols, remains, completes, and successfully transitions within the education system.
Other stakeholders, in their separate goodwill messages during the event, raised concerns and made appeals. Amongst them, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) chairman applauded the campaign but called for more recruitment of teachers alongside enrollment efforts.
The Paramount Ruler of Uyo, represented by the Village Head of Uyo, Aniefi Okon, urged traditional leaders to sensitise communities through town criers and called for the reintroduction of school feeding to boost enrollment
UBEC Member, Mallam Adamu, expressed gratitude to Governor Eno for building model schools across local governments, while stressing that enrollment drives were only a means to the greater end of achieving quality education for all.
Highpoint of the event was the distribution of free school uniforms, bags, and books to newly enrolled pupils as part of efforts to encourage enrollment and retention, and a strong directive that no school in Akwa Ibom should collect money from children registering for admission. Any Head Teacher found culpable, officials warned, would be sanctioned and demoted back to classroom teaching.
With over 20 million out-of-school children nationwide, the UBEC/UNICEF initiative launched in Uyo for the South-South, aims to drastically reduce the numbers by combining Federal policy with State-led innovations and community-driven advocacy.
