The Abia state government said it would begin a “hunt” for children who are usually not in school during school hours.

Goodluck Ubochi, the state commissioner for basic and secondary education, said Abia’s education marshals will commence the hunt on March 1, 2025.

Ubochi spoke on Tuesday during a press conference ahead of the Abia schools transformation programme launching on February 26.

He said pupils not found in school during school hours would be arrested and used to apprehend their parents who would be punished.

The government, he said, would enforce school attendance by pupils because it has invested in giving them a better education.

Ubochi said that a planned transformation of Abia schools through innovation would begin with 221 out of the state’s 1,600 schools.

“We have marked out 221 schools, 10 primary schools and five secondary schools from each of the 17 local government areas,” he said.

One in every three Nigerian children is estimated to be out of school, including 10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the junior secondary level according to UNICEF data.

Recent data from UNESCO puts Nigeria’s out-of-school children rate at 28 million, 19.5 million in rural and 8.5 million in urban areas.

Faced with such grim statistics, many states in Nigeria have been scrambling to address their quota of out-of-school children.

In 2022, Nigeria’s multidimensional poverty index showed that 5.6 per cent of children aged between 6 and 15 are out of school in Abia.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has said the registration period for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, which began on February 3, will conclude on March 8, 2025.

JAMB ruled out an extension of the registration period, saying,”This deadline has been communicated in all advertisements and the official calendar for the 2025 UTME exercise.”

This came as it disclosed that over 1.5 million candidates have successfully registered.

” We wish to inform all prospective candidates that there will be no extension of the registration period, “it emphasised in a statement on Tuesday, through its spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin.

The statement reads in part:”This notice is particularly important given the recent decline in the number of candidates registering for the examination. We urge all individuals who wish to participate to register promptly and avoid waiting until the last minute.

“Currently, over 1.5 million candidates have successfully registered, which aligns closely with the Board’s projections for the 2025 examination cycle. It is essential to note that the Board’s calendar is fixed, with numerous subsequent programmes scheduled after registration, including examinations, results management, and admissions exercise. These timelines are coordinated with other agencies whose operations rely on the completion of our processes. Therefore, extending the registration period would disrupt not only the Board’s plans but also those of our partners.

“In light of this, we strongly encourage candidates to complete their registration as soon as possible, adhering to the established timeline for the 2025 UTME.”

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has exempted foreign, blind, deaf, and prison inmates from the pre-admission screening tests conducted by tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

This move is part of JAMB’s ongoing efforts to ensure inclusivity in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) registration process.

Gombe State JAMB Coordinator, Mr. Johnson Adebiyi, made this announcement during a visit to the Nigerian Correctional Service in Gombe as part of his advocacy efforts to sensitize inmates about the registration exercise.

Adebiyi stated that the advocacy visit aims to familiarize inmates with the Board’s facilities for seamless 2025 UTME registration and examination while also informing them about the registration requirements and available waivers for eligible candidates.

“The Board and Tertiary Institutions have resolved that all Foreign, Blind, Deaf and Prison Inmates are to be exempted from pre-admission screening tests in their institutions of choice,” he stated.

debiyi noted that JAMB is committed to fostering inclusivity in tertiary education by ensuring that candidates with special needs receive the necessary support and accommodations to provide equal opportunities for all students, regardless of their physical abilities or incarceration status.

“This waiver is an affirmative action meant to accommodate candidates with special needs. The Board and the tertiary institutions will ensure that special needs candidates, who meet the specified minimum requirements, are admitted and their progress monitored in their respective institutions for confirmation of the effectiveness of the policy as directed by the 2024 Policy Meeting on Admissions.”

He added that for every year preceding the admission exercise, the list of special needs candidates would be made available to various Tertiary Institutions for guidance and necessary action.

Adebiyi also noted that JAMB has put in place measures to prevent fraudulent activities, adding that the Board has successfully facilitated the placement of prison inmates into tertiary institutions to help reintegrate them into society after serving their terms.

Controller of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Gombe, Mr. Victor Odafen, commended JAMB for the initiative, stating,

“We appreciate this initiative and will take all necessary measures to ensure that qualified inmates are ready to take advantage of this opportunity provided by JAMB and tertiary institutions.”