Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has revealed plans to sign an Executive Order aimed at preventing school-age children from roaming the streets during school hours, while also announcing a $25 million education initiative designed to improve learning outcomes across the state.
The governor made this known on Friday during the launch of the Lagos Education Access Fund, LEAF, and the inauguration of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, LASUBEB.
“I will be issuing an executive order to back this up and ensure that we are putting our money where our mouth is,” Sanwo-Olu said.
“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.”
The governor explained that the newly introduced LEAF initiative signals a transition from focusing mainly on increasing school enrolment to prioritising measurable learning achievements.
According to him, simply enrolling children in school is not enough unless it translates into improved literacy, numeracy and consistent retention.
Sanwo-Olu noted that Lagos State, working in partnership with the Education Outcomes Fund and other development partners, will deploy $25 million in outcomes-based financing to support more than 200,000 children across the state.
He added that the programme will focus on enrolling more than 50,000 out-of-school children between the ages of six and 14 into the formal education system through targeted community engagement and other interventions aimed at removing barriers to school attendance.
The initiative will also support about 150,000 pupils already enrolled in schools by strengthening literacy and numeracy development, ensuring that regular classroom attendance leads to real learning and long-term academic 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,” the governor stated.
Sanwo-Olu also said the programme builds on the achievements of Project Zero, an intervention introduced in 2021 to tackle the issue of out-of-school children in 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 said.
He further explained that the planned executive order would reinforce efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children and encourage greater accountability among parents, communities and institutions responsible for ensuring that every child of school age attends school regularly.