Sept. 19, 2025
The Lagos State Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA), Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, has announced the commencement of a comprehensive statewide enumeration of private schools.
According to a statement on Thursday by the State government, the initiative was unveiled on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at the OEQA Conference Room by the Coordinating Director of OEQA, Mr. Remi Abdul as approved by the Honourable Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun.
He said the exercise is designed to establish a robust database of all private schools operating in the state. “This enumeration is not merely a counting exercise; it is a strategic initiative to provide accurate, current, and comprehensive information about private schools across Lagos State. The data will guide policy formulation, resource allocation, and sector-wide planning,” Abdul added.
The Coordinating Director explained that the exercise is aimed at generating accurate statistics on enrollment, infrastructure, staffing, and distribution of schools by local government areas.
Secondly, it is to set baseline indicators for evaluating and improving standards in private institutions, while strengthening cooperation between government, private schools, NGOs, and development partners. Furthermore, it help to provide credible data for agencies such as UNICEF, UNESCO, and the National Bureau of Statistics.
The data to be collected, according to the Abdul, covers school identity (name, location, status), infrastructure (classrooms, facilities), human resources (teaching and non-teaching staff) and student demographics (enrollment by class, age, and gender).
Private schools are expected to designate Education Management Information System (EMIS) Officers to collaborate with OEQA field officers during the process.
Abdul assured Proprietors that the exercise will not disrupt school operations. “All information collected will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality and used strictly for planning and policy purposes.
This exercise is designed to support, not burden, private educational providers. The data collection process has also been simplified to minimise administrative strain while capturing essential information,” he added.
Further highlighting the benefits of the exercise for participating schools, Abdul revealed that these include Official recognition in the state’s educational database; Access to government support programmes, training, and partnerships; Opportunities for collaboration with other providers; Access to aggregated data for school planning and development to mention a few.
He also disclosed that the database will serve as baseline information, with updates conducted quarterly to reflect changes in student and teacher population, as well as performance outcomes.
Information on the enumeration process will be shared through the OEQA website, WhatsApp groups, and other channels. Schools are expected to register via the official link: https://forms.gle/ib8jHZ3akqpJMyN86 or contact OEQA via prsoeqa@gmail.com.
The epoch-making event had in attendance top OEQA officials including the Director of Planning, Mr. Hakeem Kehinde Idowu; the Director of Research, Mrs. Evelyn Pelemo; the Director of Statistics, Mr. Johnson Adeyemi and also representative of various Associations such as Association of Private School Owners of Nigeria, Lagos Baptist Schools, Muslim Schools Proprietors Association of Nigeria, Seed Care and Support and Education Reformers Association of Nigeria among others.
