Kaduna State government has set a one-year target to return about 187,000 out-of-school children to classrooms, as it steps up efforts to address the state’s education crisis and expand access to learning for vulnerable children.

The commissioner for Finance, Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, disclosed this at the flag-off of a programme by the Street- to-Scholars Foundation in Kaduna, yesterday.

To him, the state government was determined to ensure that children excluded from formal education returned to school.

“Kaduna State currently has 187,000 children out of school, and the governor is doing everything possible to return them to the classroom as soon as possible,” Mohammed said.

“In the next one year, we want to see zero out-of-school children,” he added.

The initiative, which targets street-connected and vulnerable children, is expected to complement the state government’s efforts to improve access to education and provide opportunities for young people to acquire skills for self-reliance.

Founder of the Street to Scholars Foundation, Sara Adeniyi, said the initiative was inspired by her encounter with street-connected children in Kaduna during a visit to the state in 2008.

Adeniyi, who is based in the United Kingdom, said the foundation planned to support about 135 children in its first year, targeting beneficiaries aged between five and 24 years.

She explained that the programme would cover primary and secondary education, further education and skills acquisition, with sustained support designed to help beneficiaries become self-reliant.

“Once they enter into our database, they will not leave until they get a skill, and that will be at the age of 24,” she said.

Adeniyi added that the foundation would also seek to reconnect children with their families where appropriate, while working with the government to provide educational and skills-development opportunities.

The Commissioner for Planning and Budget, Mukhtar Ahmed Monrovia, said the partnership reflected the state government’s commitment to inclusive development and the protection of vulnerable children.

Monrovia said a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the government and the foundation on September 8, 2026, provided a framework for supporting street-connected and out-of-school children.

He identified poverty, inadequate support systems and limited access to educational opportunities as some of the barriers preventing vulnerable children from attending school.

The commissioner, therefore, called for stronger coordination among government ministries, development partners, civil society organisations, traditional rulers and communities to ensure that interventions reached children and schools most in need.