Gombe launches 2025 enrolment drive to cut out-of-school numbers
From Hajara Usman, Gombe
Gombe State Government on Monday launched the 2025 Enrolment Drive Campaign, setting an ambitious target of enrolling 220,000 pupils across the state for the 2025/2026 academic year.
The campaign was formally launched at a stakeholder engagement in Gombe, organised in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Governor Inuwa Yahaya said the initiative aims to confront the growing education gap through data-driven strategies, inclusive policy frameworks, and robust community engagement.
“We have harmonised data on out-of-school children, classified by age, gender, and disability, and are the only state with two detailed frameworks—one for out-of-school children and another specifically for Almajiri education,” he stated.
He added that the state has adopted the Retention, Transition, and Completion (RTC) model, and introduced vocational and accelerated programmes for older learners, including Almajiri students, some of whom are as old as 17 and cannot begin at primary level.
According to him, 20 adult learners are set to graduate soon, and the state has domesticated the Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Bill, along with the establishment of a dedicated implementation board. He further disclosed that each Local Government Area (LGA) now hosts one model Tsangaya school and three bilingual schools, each capable of accommodating up to 1,000 students.
Mr. Babaji Babadidi, Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), reaffirmed the state’s commitment to tackling root causes of low enrolment, such as poverty, limited awareness, and socio-economic barriers.
Mohammed Kudi, UNICEF’s representative from the Bauchi Field Office, said that despite the alarming number of out-of-school children, they remain optimistic. “With strong political will, coordinated strategies, and community buy-in, we can change the narrative,” he said.
