Kaduna State remains one of Nigeria’s most affected states in terms of out-of-school children, with thousands of school-age learners absent from classrooms across rural and urban communities. Poverty, insecurity, child labour, early marriage, and persistent cultural barriers continue to push children particularly in northern and hard-to-reach areas out of the formal education system.
The government’s decision to prioritise education financially suggests an acknowledgement of the scale of the problem. By allocating a quarter of the budget to the sector, the administration appears to recognise that education is not only a social service but a long-term solution to insecurity, unemployment, and economic stagnation in the state.
However, investigations by The Nigeria Education News indicate that the challenge is not funding alone, but how effectively resources are deployed. Many public primary and secondary schools across Kaduna are in a state of infrastructural distress, with leaking roofs, overcrowded classrooms, inadequate furniture, and limited access to water and sanitation facilities. Such environments discourage enrolment and contribute to high dropout rates.
In several local government areas, children are forced to travel long distances to attend poorly equipped schools, a situation that disproportionately affects girls and children with disabilities. Without deliberate investment in building new schools and rehabilitating existing ones, especially in rural communities, the out-of-school population is unlikely to decline significantly.
Teacher shortages further compound the crisis. Field findings reveal that some schools operate with fewer than half the required number of qualified teachers, resulting in poor learning outcomes and diminished interest among students. Unless the education budget addresses recruitment, training, and motivation of teachers particularly in underserved areas physical infrastructure alone will not solve the problem.
Security remains an underlying factor. Years of banditry and communal violence have disrupted schooling in parts of Kaduna, forcing temporary closures and displacing families. While education has received a significant allocation, its success depends on complementary investments in safe-school initiatives and community-based security measures that allow children to return to learning spaces without fear.
The administration’s emphasis on capital expenditure, which accounts for over 70 per cent of the total budget, offers cautious optimism. If education capital projects are prioritised such as classroom construction, rehabilitation, laboratories, and digital learning facilities the state could begin to address the infrastructure gap that keeps many children out of school.
The provision of ₦100 million per ward for community-driven projects also presents an opportunity to tackle local education challenges. Community leaders could channel funds into school repairs, learning centres, or enrolment drives. Yet, education experts warn that without strict monitoring, such funds may fail to reach the most vulnerable children.
Parents and education stakeholders interviewed across the state expressed hope mixed with scepticism. While they welcome the increased allocation, many insist that past budgets have not translated into visible improvements. For them, success will be measured by functional classrooms, accessible schools, and tangible support for families struggling to keep their children in school.
Addressing Kaduna’s out-of-school crisis also requires social interventions beyond classrooms. Economic hardship forces many children into street trading and informal labour. Education spending must therefore align with social protection programmes that reduce the financial burden on parents and make schooling a viable option.
Transparency and accountability will play a decisive role. Civil society groups argue that publishing detailed breakdowns of education spending and tracking project implementation are essential to restoring public trust and ensuring that funds reach intended beneficiaries.
Governor Uba Sani has described the 2026 budget as a tool for inclusive development, but inclusion in education demands deliberate focus on those currently excluded from learning. Without targeted strategies for out-of-school children and sustained investment in school infrastructure, the 25 per cent allocation may fall short of expectations.
As Kaduna embarks on another fiscal year, the education budget stands as both a promise and a test. Its true value will be determined not by the percentage allocated, but by the number of children who return to classrooms and the quality of the learning environments created across the state.