KANO — About 875,593 children aged five to 18 are out of school in Kano State, according to a new survey presented to stakeholders by the Commissioner for Education, Ali Makoda. The figure represents 13.4 per cent of the state's estimated 6.6 million school-age children. The survey, the first statistically representative count of out-of-school children in Kano in more than a decade, covered all 44 local government areas and was completed in March. It was conducted by the state Ministry of Education and the State Bureau of Statistics with support from PLANE, a programme funded by the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Researchers sampled 1,783 households and 13,915 people, including 7,013 children aged five to 18. Of these, 6.97 per cent had never attended school and 6.37 per cent had dropped out. Parents' inability to afford the costs of schooling was the main barrier, cited in 22.3 per cent of cases, followed by limited access to schools at 17.2 per cent. Distance, household chores, early marriage and child labour were also mentioned. Almost all caregivers, 99.6 per cent, said education is important. Boys make up 54.2 per cent of out-of-school children, a trend linked to child labour and the Almajiri system. The rate varies widely, from zero in Ghari LGA to 40 per cent in Doguwa, with Warawa, Gaya and Sumaila also among the worst affected.