Lagos $25m Education Fund to Enrol 50,000 Out-of-school Children – Sanwo-Olu

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has announced that the newly launched Lagos Education Access Fund will target the enrolment of 50,000 out-of-school children into formal education and improve learning outcomes across public schools in the state.

Sanwo-Olu, according to a statement on Sunday by the Director, Public Affairs of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Abe Adunola, disclosed this on Friday during the unveiling of the initiative at a ceremony held at Lagos House, Marina.

Speaking at the event, Sanwo-Olu reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that every child in Lagos has access to free and quality basic education.

He described education as a critical driver of social mobility, human capital development, and economic growth.

The governor disclosed that the programme was supported by a $25m outcomes-based education fund designed to benefit about 200,000 children across communities in the state.

According to him, the initiative will facilitate the enrolment of up to 50,000 out-of-school children between the ages of six and 14 into formal basic education.

The statement added that the governor noted that the programme would also strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy for 150,000 pupils currently enrolled in public schools across the state.

He noted that the initiative builds on the achievements recorded under Project Zero, launched in 2021 to identify and reintegrate out-of-school children into the education system.

“Through the intervention, over 36,000 children have already been returned to classrooms across the state,” the governor was quoted as saying.

The governor added that the programme aligns with the state government’s THEMES+ Development Agenda, particularly the pillar on education and technology, which focuses on strengthening human capital development and building a knowledge-driven society.

He also highlighted the role of community participation in sustaining educational development, revealing that over 360 parents and guardians had been trained in vocational and livelihood skills such as fashion designing, catering, soap making, and hairdressing to enable them to better support the educational progress of their children.

Sanwo-Olu expressed appreciation to development partners, including the Education Outcomes Fund, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the Federal Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, for supporting efforts to improve education outcomes in the state.

He also commended the leadership and management of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board for their dedication to advancing basic education reforms.

The statement added that the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, had earlier described the LEAF as an initiative that would strengthen the state’s education ecosystem and accelerate access to quality learning opportunities for children.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of the Education Outcomes Fund, Dr Amel Karboul, said the initiative was designed to improve learning outcomes through an innovative results-based financing model.

According to her, the programme focuses on funding measurable education outcomes such as enrolment, retention, and completion of schooling for both out-of-school children and those already in the education system.

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“The innovation lies in shifting from traditional funding methods that pay for inputs such as textbooks or teachers’ salaries to a model that pays for verified results,” she said.

Karboul added that the programme would leverage data-driven technology and monitoring systems to ensure that children are enrolled in school, remain in school, and receive quality learning.

In her remarks, the Director at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Eunice Ogolo, announced the foundation’s $10m support for the programme.

She stressed the urgent need to address the challenge of children who remain outside the school system.

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“When children are not in school or are not learning effectively, their future potential becomes limited,” she said.

Ogolo commended the Lagos State Government for prioritising results-based interventions to improve learning outcomes and reaffirmed the foundation’s commitment to supporting efforts aimed at ensuring that every child in Lagos acquires literacy and numeracy skills.