The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education (NCAOOSCE) has clarified that projects contained in its 2026 Appropriation Act which appear to fall outside its statutory mandate are constituency projects approved by the National Assembly of Nigeria and assigned to the Commission for implementation.

The Commission made the clarification in a statement on Tuesday following public concerns over the inclusion of certain projects in its budget that are unrelated to its core responsibilities.

According to the Commission, the projects are part of the long-established federal budgeting process under which constituency projects are incorporated into the national budget and allocated to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for execution.

It stressed that every project assigned to the Commission under the duly enacted 2026 Appropriation Act forms part of its implementation responsibilities and would be executed in strict compliance with existing laws, financial regulations and due procurement procedures.

While explaining the budgetary arrangement, the Commission maintained that its statutory mandate remains unchanged, noting that it was established to coordinate national efforts aimed at reforming the Almajiri education system and tackling the challenge of out-of-school children across Nigeria.

NCAOOSCE said it remains committed to expanding access to quality education, strengthening Almajiri education, supporting state governments and key stakeholders, and implementing programmes that directly improve the lives of millions of vulnerable children.

The Commission highlighted several achievements recorded in pursuit of its mandate, including the identification and profiling of more than 700,000 out-of-school children nationwide, the establishment of 119 learning centres across the country, sustained ward-to-ward advocacy and community mobilisation campaigns, as well as ongoing implementation of the National Policy on Almajiri Education aimed at reforming the system and reducing social vices associated with it.

It reaffirmed that addressing the plight of Almajiri and out-of-school children remains its highest priority and pledged to intensify efforts towards ensuring that every Nigerian child has access to quality education.

The Commission also acknowledged the support of the Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, as well as other stakeholders, for advancing reforms in the education sector.

NCAOOSCE assured Nigerians that it would continue to faithfully discharge its statutory responsibilities while ensuring transparency and accountability in the implementation of all projects assigned to it under the 2026 federal budget.