Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has announced plans to issue an executive order prohibiting school-age children from roaming the streets in Lagos during school hours, as part of broader efforts to tackle the problem of out-of-school children.
The governor disclosed this on Friday at the launch of the Lagos Education Access Fund (LEAF) and the inauguration of the board of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB).
Sanwo-Olu said the proposed order would ensure that children of school age are not found outside between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. without a valid reason, while strengthening accountability among parents, communities and institutions responsible for ensuring regular school attendance.
“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.
The governor also announced a $25 million outcomes-based education fund aimed at improving learning outcomes across the state. Through partnerships with the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) and development partners, the initiative is expected to support more than 200,000 children.
According to him, the programme will focus on enrolling over 50,000 out-of-school children aged six to 14 into formal education, while improving literacy and numeracy among about 150,000 pupils already in school.
Sanwo-Olu said the initiative builds on Project Zero, a state intervention launched in 2021 to address the out-of-school children crisis, which has so far returned more than 36,000 children to classrooms.
He added that the government has also supported over 360 parents and guardians with vocational training in areas such as fashion design, soap making, catering and hairdressing to help families sustain their children’s education.
The governor further highlighted ongoing investments in education infrastructure, noting that the state has built more schools and classrooms in the last seven years than were delivered in the previous two decades.
At the event, the LASUBEB board was inaugurated with Dr Hakeem Shittu as chairman, alongside other members tasked with strengthening school governance and improving learning outcomes across the state.