Kaduna’s School Push Gains Global Backing

By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna

Kaduna State’s drive to bring thousands of out-of-school children back into classrooms is gaining strong international support, with top development partners praising early progress while warning that the scale of the crisis still demands urgent, sustained action.

A joint supervision mission involving the ROOSC Project Management Unit, the Islamic Development Bank, Global Partnership for Education, UNICEF, and Save the Children International toured project sites and Tsagaya Schools under the Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROSC) Initiative, an ambitious effort to tackle one of Nigeria’s toughest education challenges.

From newly constructed classrooms to packed learning spaces being expanded, the verdict from partners was that, though progress is real, but it is not yet enough.

At Kwanan Bishara School in Rigasa, inspectors walked through a major construction site where a classroom block, administrative offices, and sanitation facilities are taking shape. Across other locations, old classrooms are being refurbished and new ones built to absorb a surge in enrolment.

The urgency is evident. In some schools, up to 70 pupils squeeze into a single classroom.

“That number should drop to around 40 once these projects are completed,” said Dorian Gay of the Global Partnership for Education.

“That’s a game changer for learning,” he added.

For partners, the most striking outcome is simple: more children should be back in school.

“It’s gratifying,” said Jawara Gaye of the Islamic Development Bank.

According to Jawara “Within a short time, we are seeing children who were out of school now learning, supported by better teaching and improved facilities.”

Backed by Save the Children International and UNICEF, teachers are receiving training, while systems are being strengthened to track attendance and improve learning outcomes.

“This is not just about enrolment.

“It’s about building a system that works so children stay, learn, and succeed,” said Vanessa Lee of UNICEF Nigeria.

Despite the gains, partners are not sugarcoating the challenge.

“This is a drop in the ocean,” said Jane Mbagi Mutua of Save the Children International.

The project aims to reach 100,000 children but nearly 200,000 remain out of school in Kaduna alone.

The message: scale matters, and time is critical.

Beyond funding and policy, communities are playing a decisive role.

In Kwanan Bishara, local leaders say they pushed for the school project themselves, now a reality transforming daily life.

“Our children used to walk three to five kilometers to school.

“Now, that burden is coming down,” a community leader, Muhammed Usman said.

The impact goes beyond convenience, it’s about access, safety, and opportunity.

Ezra Angai, Project Coordinator for the Reaching Out-of-School Children Project in Kaduna State, said the mission brought together global and national partners to assess progress and strengthen implementation.

He noted that stakeholders are working collectively to ensure the project delivers on its objectives, while also addressing challenges through field engagement and coordination.

Stakeholders agree that classrooms alone won’t solve the crisis.

Poverty, social barriers, and weak community engagement still keep many children especially girls, out of school.

“The solution is multi-layered. You build schools, yes, but you also support families, engage communities, and strengthen the entire system,” Gay noted.

With construction ongoing and enrolment drives intensifying, attention is now on delivery, finishing projects on time and ensuring classrooms translate into real learning.

The Kaduna State Government has pledged to push reforms beyond rhetoric, while partners signal continued backing.

For now, the momentum is clear: more classrooms, more children in school, and a growing coalition determined to close the gap.

But the bottom line remains, until every child is in school and learning, the job is far from done.