Lagos to bar school-age children from streets during class hours, Sanwo-Olu says

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos State, has announced plans to sign an executive order banning school-age children from roaming the streets during school hours as part of broader efforts to tackle the problem of out-of-school children.

The governor disclosed on Friday while speaking 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) in Lagos.

According to him, the proposed order will ensure that children who should be in school are not seen on the streets between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. without a valid reason. The move, he said, is designed to reinforce accountability among parents, communities and institutions responsible for ensuring that every child receives basic education.

Sanwo-Olu explained that the directive will complement ongoing efforts by the state government to address educational access while ensuring that attendance translates into meaningful learning outcomes.

The announcement came alongside the unveiling of a $25 million outcomes-based education financing initiative aimed at improving literacy and numeracy among primary-school pupils.

New education fund targets learning outcomes

Under the LEAF programme, Lagos plans to work with international partners to channel about $25 million into education initiatives tied directly to measurable results rather than just enrolment numbers.

The programme is expected to reach more than 200,000 children across the state. Officials say around 50,000 out-of-school children aged between six and 14 will be enrolled in formal education through community-based interventions designed to remove barriers to schooling.

At the same time, another 150,000 pupils already in school will benefit from programmes aimed at strengthening learning outcomes, particularly in literacy and numeracy.

Sanwo-Olu said the new initiative marks a shift in focus from simply increasing the number of students in classrooms to ensuring that those students actually acquire knowledge and skills that will benefit them long-term.

According to the governor, the programme builds on an earlier intervention known as Project Zero, which was introduced in 2021 to identify and reintegrate children who had dropped out of school.

Through that initiative, the state says it has successfully returned more than 36,000 children to formal education.

Beyond direct support for pupils, the programme also targeted families whose financial struggles often force children out of school. Officials say more than 360 parents and guardians have received vocational training in areas such as tailoring, soap making, catering and hairdressing to help stabilise household incomes and sustain children’s education.

Education infrastructure and partnerships

Sanwo-Olu also highlighted the state government’s investment in school infrastructure, saying his administration had significantly expanded the number of classrooms and school facilities across Lagos.

According to him, more schools and classrooms have been built in the past seven years than in the previous two decades combined. In one large education complex alone, the government plans to deliver as many as 35 schools capable of accommodating nearly 20,000 students.

The governor emphasised that government action alone would not be enough to solve the state’s education challenges, stressing the need for collaboration with development partners and philanthropic organisations.

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Several international partners are supporting the initiative, including the Education Outcomes Fund, the Federal Ministry of Education and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.

Speaking at the event, Amel Karboul, chief executive officer of the Education Outcomes Fund and a former Tunisian minister, described Lagos as a model for outcome-driven education financing.

She said many governments often spend heavily on education infrastructure and materials but fail to achieve meaningful learning results, adding that outcome-based funding aims to change that pattern by linking financial support directly to measurable improvements in learning.

Karboul noted that the Lagos initiative could serve as a blueprint for other states and countries looking for more effective ways to finance education reforms.

At the ceremony, Sanwo-Olu also inaugurated the LASUBEB board, appointing Hakeem Shittu as chairman.

In his remarks, Shittu pledged that the board would focus on expanding access to education, improving learning outcomes and strengthening accountability in the state’s basic education system.

He said the board’s priority would not only be getting children into classrooms but ensuring they actually learn while there — a goal he described as central to the success of Lagos’ education reforms.