Kebbi, Yobe, Zamfara top list of out-of-school children – Survey

Kebbi, Yobe and Zamfara states have the highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, according to Nigeria Education Data Survey (NEDS) 2020.

The National Population Commission launched the survey on Tuesday in Minna, Niger state.

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According to the survey, Kebbi State recorded 59 percent of out-of-school children in 2020, followed by Yobe State with 57 percent and Zamfara State 51 percent.

The Chairman of the commission, Nasir Isa Kwara, said the survey covered all states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Nasir, who was represented by the Niger state NPC Director, Uthman Baba, noted that the 2020 NEDS report will increase education data availability and set a trend for planning, monitoring and measuring education indicators in Nigeria.

“The 2020 NEDS was carried out in 9,711 Enumeration Areas in focused states while 458 Enumeration Areas were covered in the non-focused states,” he said.

The survey however shows that Rivers state has the lowest out-of-school children at 4 percent followed by Ebonyi and Oyo States, recording 11 percent and 12 percent respectively.

The survey revealed that the major factors responsible for children who had never attended school were distance, safety and the economic viability of the parents.