The Federal Government has introduced a new plan to support private schools in enrolling out-of-school children. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, stated that from the 2025–2026 school year, private, religious, and community schools will receive vouchers for each out-of-school child they enrol.
This plan aims to help reduce the number of Nigeria’s 18.3 million out-of-school children, most of whom come from impoverished homes and cannot afford basic schooling. According to the minister, private schools have grown by 39% in recent years and are helping to fill the gap left by limited government schools.
The new policy, supported by the UK’s FCDO through the PLANE programme, will also offer grants to early childhood centres through UBEC. Central educational stakeholders in Nigeria, including the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), have described the initiative as a welcome move that can further enhance the country’s educational sector.
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