The executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Hamid Boboye, says Nigeria needs an additional 20,000 schools and 907,769 classrooms to absorb the growing number of out-of-school children.

Mr Boboye said in Abuja on Tuesday while briefing education minister Tahir Mamman and his deputy Yusuf Sununu.

He identified infrastructural gaps and inadequate manpower as some of the challenges facing the commission in its efforts towards ensuring equitable access to quality basic education

Mr Mamman said the ministry under him would prioritise basic education in the country, emphasising that the foundation level is the most critical segment in the sector that must be properly developed in order to impact positively on other tiers of the sector and overall national development.

The minister called on all state governments to show greater commitment towards providing counterpart funding to accelerate the development of basic education in the country.

Mr Mamman added that President Bola Tinubu’s government would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that every child gets the required education.

He mentioned that the forthcoming national census will end to the controversies surrounding the actual figures of out-of-school children.

(NAN)