The Federal Government has kicked off a new initiative aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children and tackling literacy challenges across the country.

Through the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education (NMEC), the government on Tuesday in Abuja began a two-day training for enumerators on the use of automated data collection tools.

Acting Executive Secretary of NMEC, Dr. John Onimisi, who is the coordinator Needs Assessment Team, explained that the programme is targeting the enrollment of over 500,000 learners in its first phase.

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He said the exercise would capture data on youths aged 15 and above who either dropped out of school or never had the opportunity to continue formal education.

According to him, the programme will not only focus on literacy but also vocational training, enabling learners to transition into skill acquisition programmes after completing the non-formal learning cycle.

“Our goal is to ensure that these learners are enrolled into non-formal education centres and supported to complete the programme successfully. Some will also move into vocational training afterwards,” Onimisi said.

He disclosed that the scheme would cut across the 774 local government areas in the country, with 376 enumerators drawn from the 36 states and the FCT already trained, while 250 facilitators would drive the exercise in Abuja.

To ensure transparency, Onimisi noted that data monitoring would be done in real-time through a dashboard linked to the National Identity Management System (NIMS), allowing for proper tracking and follow-up of learners.

“This is the first large-scale literacy data exercise by NMEC since the 2010 National Literacy Survey, and the delay has been due to funding limitations. The current intervention signals the government’s renewed commitment to bridging literacy gaps,” he said.

The first literacy cycle of the programme is expected to last between six to nine months depending on contact hours.

Onimisi commended the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for supporting the intervention.

Also speaking, NMEC’s Director of Programmes, Mr. Samuel Aziba, said the training would equip enumerators with digital tools for data collection, adding that a pilot phase will begin in four FCT locations before the national rollout.

NMEC estimates that Nigeria had more than 30 million non-literate adults as of 2021, underscoring the urgency of the government’s intervention.