In a move to tackle the growing challenge of out-of-school children, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos State has launched over N34.9 billion ($25 million) outcomes-based education fund to improve school enrollment, and support vulnerable students across the state.
The governor made this known while speaking at the launch of the Lagos Education Access Fund and the inauguration of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, recently.
Sanwo-Olu emphasised that the executive order would strengthen measures against out-of-school children and increase accountability among parents, communities, and institutions responsible for ensuring that every school-age child attends school regularly.
“I will be issuing an executive order to back this up and ensure that we are putting our money where our mouth is.
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“No child should be seen outside between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. unless there is a very good reason that child is not in school,” he said.
He disclosed that the state through the partnership is strategically shifting from merely boosting enrolment statistics to focusing on actual learning outcomes, emphasising that access to school must translate into improved literacy, numeracy, and retention.
The governor reiterated that Lagos, through partnership with the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) and development partners, will deploy $25 million about N34.9 billion in outcomes-based financing to support over 200,000 children statewide.
He said the programme would target more than 50,000 out-of-school children aged six to 14 for enrolment into mainstream education through structured community outreach and interventions aimed at removing barriers to attendance.
Sanwo-Olu added that the initiative would also support 150,000 pupils already in school by strengthening literacy and numeracy outcomes, ensuring that classroom attendance translates into real learning and long-term success.
“This initiative is not just about funding education; it is about ensuring every investment translates into real learning, real opportunity, and measurable outcomes for our children,” he said.
Furthermore, the governor emphasised that LEAF builds on Project Zero, an intervention launched in 2021 to address out-of-school children, which has already returned more than 36,000 children to formal education across the state.
“One of our most impactful initiatives in the last 10 years has been Project Zero, through which Lagos has identified, tracked, and enrolled more than 36,000 children,” he noted.
Sanwo-Olu said that beyond returning children to school, the state had supported over 360 parents and guardians with vocational training to improve livelihoods and strengthen their capacity to sustain their children’s education.
Moreover, he explained that beneficiaries were trained in fashion designing, soap making, catering, and hairdressing, reflecting the government’s recognition that family economic stability is critical to school retention and consistent attendance.
Besides, he said his administration had expanded education infrastructure significantly, building more schools and classrooms in the last seven years than were delivered in the previous two decades.
“We have built more schools and classrooms in the last seven years than were built in the previous 20 years,” he said.
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