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adsFor thousands of children in Plateau State, the journey to the classroom remains uncertain, as insecurity, poverty and other socio-economic challenges continue to push some school-age children outside the formal education system. The challenge has become a major concern for the Plateau State Government, which has disclosed that 23.2 percent of school-age children in the state are currently out of school. It is against this background that the administration of Governor Caleb Mutfwang is rolling out what it describes as a major intervention in basic education, involving more than N10 billion in investments, 19 buses, hundreds of thousands of textbooks, teachers’ guides, digital devices, renovated classrooms and other learning materials. Mutfwang, who flagged off the intervention last week at the headquarters of the Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board, PSUBEB, in Jos, said the initiative was aimed at repositioning basic education as the foundation for sustainable development and ensuring that every Plateau child had access to relevant, safe and quality education. The ceremony marked the distribution of teaching and learning materials, commissioning of 19 buses, rollout of computers and tablets under the HOPE-EDU Programme and commencement of a capacity-building workshop for education officials. adsads But beyond the ceremony and the volume of materials being distributed, the intervention comes at a critical time for the state, where the growing number of children outside school threatens efforts to build a strong human capital base. The government had raised the alarm over the situation during an advocacy campaign on the activities of School-Based Management Committees, SBMCs, organised by PSUBEB in Jos in July Speaking at the event, Kachollom Gang, the then Commissioner for Education, now a former commissioner in the ministry described the increasing number of out-of-school children as a menace that must be urgently addressed. “The issue of out-of-school children has become a menace. Insecurity is everywhere across the country, and it is increasing the number. The number of out-of-school children on the Plateau is growing, and we must tackle it,” she said.adsads The concern provides a wider context to Mutfwang’s latest education intervention. While the distribution of textbooks and deployment of buses may appear to focus primarily on improving existing schools, the government says the broader objective is to create an education system capable of attracting children into school, keeping them there and giving them the quality of learning necessary to progress. Read also: Nigerian students to get 100MB free daily data from October Mutfwang said the state’s decision to clear its outstanding counterpart funding obligations to the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, had enabled Plateau to unlock critical interventions in the sector. According to him, the state is now among those up to date with their UBEC counterpart obligations after clearing outstanding payments inherited from 2022 and 2023, while preparations are underway for the state’s 2026 counterpart contribution. The governor said the various interventions would translate into an investment of more than N10 billion in basic education. He explained that the 19 buses would strengthen school supervision, monitoring and distribution of educational resources, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach communities. This is significant in a state where some communities face challenges of distance and insecurity, making regular supervision of schools and delivery of educational materials difficult. The buses are therefore expected to take education officials closer to schools and communities, allowing government to monitor attendance, teaching activities and the utilisation of educational resources. Mutfwang, however, warned that the vehicles must not become government assets without corresponding public value. He charged Education Secretaries and Local Government Education Authorities to ensure that the buses were used strictly for their intended purposes, properly maintained and protected as public assets. The governor also shifted attention from infrastructure and learning materials to the quality of teaching, challenging teachers to improve instruction, particularly in English Language and Mathematics. He directed the Commissioner for Education and PSUBEB management to develop a programme for improving teachers’ capacity in English Language delivery. Mutfwang, who recalled his experience as a beneficiary of public education, said the quality of foundational learning had a direct bearing on a child’s ability to understand other subjects. “We are not sacking people, but we will push you to the point that you must raise the bar to a basic minimum standard,” he said. The governor disclosed that more than 1,200 classrooms had been renovated across the 17 local government areas in the past three years. But he stressed that the renovation of classrooms must be complemented by quality teaching, teacher welfare, appropriate learning materials and conducive learning environments. Related News ADC vs APC in Rivers: Diaspora group says Pidomson will not beg any man for guber ticket, Ogoni not violent Datti Baba-Ahmed’s symphony of confusion Edo’s highway crisis: Three days in gridlock, stranded corpse exposes road disaster The governor said it was particularly important in the government’s attempt to tackle the out-of-school problem. Bringing children into school is only the first step. Keeping them there requires an environment where they can learn effectively and where parents and communities can see value in formal education. Mutfwang consequently announced a renewed campaign to increase enrolment in public schools. He called on traditional and religious leaders, parents, communities and civil society organisations to help remove barriers preventing children from accessing education. The governor also directed Education Secretaries to treat their positions as field responsibilities rather than office appointments, urging them to regularly visit schools and ensure that teaching was taking place with the right materials and at the appropriate time. For children in rural communities, the emphasis on field supervision could prove particularly important, as weak monitoring can allow absenteeism, inadequate teaching and poor utilisation of resources to persist unnoticed. The governor further announced that future recruitment under the HOPE-EDU Programme would give special consideration to rural postings, with improved incentives for teachers serving in underserved communities. That policy is expected to help address one of the persistent challenges facing rural education—ensuring that schools have teachers available to teach the children who live in those communities. Mutfwang insisted that every resource provided under the intervention must translate into measurable improvements in learning outcomes. He called on teachers, parents, traditional leaders, lawmakers, communities and development partners to support efforts to build a stronger public education system. The scale of the educational materials being deployed was highlighted by Sunday Amuna, executive chairman of PSUBEB. Amuna disclosed that the intervention included 296,765 core textbooks in Mathematics, English Language, Basic Science and Computer Studies, as well as 19,905 curriculum materials and 34,590 additional core textbooks procured under the 2025 Basic Education Advancement Programme. He added that the intervention included 67,200 teachers’ guides, 30,000 Early Grade Reading textbooks, 15 sewing and knitting machines and 1,000 sanitary pads for distribution to schools. The materials, he said, were designed to strengthen classroom instruction, lesson planning, literacy and numeracy, while the buses would expand the operational reach of education officials. Amuna urged Education Secretaries and LGEA officials to protect the assets and ensure their effective utilisation. The intervention also has a strong technology component. Aliyu Baba, Plateau State HOPE Project Coordinator, said the initiative built on the recruitment and deployment of 1,500 teachers across the 17 local government areas, as well as improvements in school infrastructure. Baba said the provision of laptops and tablets to Education Secretaries and EMIS officers, alongside a two-day training on the Trace and Track, TnT, Management System, would strengthen data management, asset tracking, monitoring and accountability in the education sector. Maren Yobo, commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, described the TnT system as an important complement to the ministry’s monitoring and evaluation responsibilities. Gloria Karuri, commissioner for Education, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to ensuring that the investments produced measurable improvements in learning outcomes, teacher support and accountability. Her position as the current commissioner also places the responsibility for driving the government’s response to the out-of-school crisis firmly within the present administration’s education agenda, following the earlier warning by her predecessor, Kachollom Gang. Ultimately, the success of the N10 billion intervention will not be determined by the number of buses commissioned or textbooks distributed. Its more important measure will be whether children who are currently outside the formal education system are brought back into classrooms, whether they remain there and whether they acquire the foundational skills required to advance academically. The 23.2 percent out-of-school figure therefore gives the intervention a much bigger meaning than an ordinary distribution of educational materials. The 19 buses could improve supervision. The textbooks could strengthen classroom instruction. The digital devices could improve data management and accountability. The renovated classrooms could provide better learning environments, while the recruitment of teachers and incentives for rural postings could address manpower gaps. But the government will still need the cooperation of parents, communities, traditional and religious leaders, teachers and development partners to convert those investments into higher enrolment and better learning outcomes. For Plateau State, the challenge is clear: getting children into school is only the beginning; keeping them there and ensuring they learn is the real test of the N10 billion education drive.
Nathaniel Gbaoron Nathaniel E. Gbaoron is the Plateau State correspondent for BusinessDay and a seasoned journalist with a decade of experience covering sub-national affairs across Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, and other states.
He holds both National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mass Communication from Fidel Polytechnic, Gboko. Over the years, he has participated in numerous media trainings and workshops spanning various areas of reporting, strengthening his expertise in economic and political reporting, community-level governance, development stories, and conflict-sensitive journalism. He is a member of Correspondent Chapel in Plateau state, a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), he is also a Rotarian and a member of Plateau Club 1921. Share Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date Open In Whatsapp
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