The Lagos State Government has begun plans to assign unique identification numbers to every student in public and private schools across the state in a move aimed at improving student records, strengthening identity registration, and supporting better planning in the education sector.
The initiative is being carried out through a partnership between the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) and the Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA). The collaboration was formally unveiled during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Office of Education Quality Assurance in Alausa, Ikeja, where education officials, school owners, administrators, and representatives of public and private schools gathered to discuss the rollout of the exercise.
Speaking during the engagement, the General Manager of LASRRA, Mrs. Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, said the government was committed to ensuring that every student in Lagos is captured in a reliable identity database.
She explained that separate meetings were held with representatives of public and private schools to address the different requirements involved in implementing the exercise and to ensure a smooth registration process across the state.
According to her, students in public schools are already required to have a LASRRA identification number before they can be enrolled in Lagos State-owned schools. She noted that the current exercise is designed to improve the existing process by using technology and closer collaboration with education districts.
“For public schools, having a LASRRA number is already a requirement for enrolment in Lagos State government schools. What we are doing now is simply improving the process by using technology and working closely with the various districts to collect and consolidate those numbers,” she said.
Adebiyi-Abiola said the process for private schools would be different because many students in those schools have not yet registered with LASRRA.
To bridge the gap, she said officials of the agency would work with the Office of Education Quality Assurance and school administrators to carry out registration directly in schools across different parts of Lagos.
She explained that LASRRA teams would visit schools to register students who do not already have identification numbers, making the process easier for parents and school authorities.
“For private schools, quite a few students may not yet have their LASRRA numbers. So, in partnership with OEQA and the schools, we will go to the various locations and register the students directly,” she said.
The LASRRA boss assured stakeholders that the registration process would be fast and efficient, adding that each student’s registration would take less than five minutes once the exercise begins.
She expressed confidence that the entire exercise could be completed within a few months after field operations commence across the state.
As part of the wider program, Adebiyi-Abiola disclosed that both students and teachers in public and private schools would also receive standardised identity cards.
According to her, the identity cards will form part of a broader effort by the state government to integrate education records with residents’ identity data, making it easier to manage information and improve service delivery.
She also revealed that discussions were ongoing between LASRRA and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to simplify access to National Identification Numbers (NIN) for students and members of school communities.
The collaboration, she said, is expected to reduce the challenges many families face in obtaining NIN registration for children while ensuring that more Lagos residents are captured in the national identity database.
To ensure a smooth exercise, schools will first conduct pre-registration of students before LASRRA officials arrive for biometric capture and final verification.
According to Adebiyi-Abiola, the arrangement is expected to reduce waiting time, prevent overcrowding at registration centres, and make the exercise more organised.
She added that LASRRA would also strengthen its presence across Lagos by expanding activities at its registration centres located in the state’s local government areas. This, she said, would make identity registration easier for residents beyond the school exercise.
Also speaking at the event, the Director-General of the Office of Education Quality Assurance, Dr. Sulaimon Ogunmuyiwa, said the government would soon begin an extensive awareness campaign through radio and television to educate parents, schools and students about the programme.
He explained that public enlightenment was necessary to encourage participation and ensure that the registration exercise is carried out without disruption.
Ogunmuyiwa described the partnership between LASRRA and OEQA as another example of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s emphasis on collaboration among government agencies to improve public service delivery.
He said assigning a unique identification number to every student would provide the government with reliable education data, making it easier to plan for the future and improve learning outcomes.
According to him, accurate student records will enable education authorities to monitor enrolment, track academic progress, identify areas requiring intervention, and formulate policies based on reliable information rather than estimates.
“Our goal is to make sure we give a unique number to every student in Lagos while also registering them as residents of the state,” Ogunmuyiwa said.
He added that the benefits of the initiative would extend beyond the classroom.
“Even after leaving school, they will already be captured as Lagos residents, while during their academic journey, the unique identification number will help us track performance and ensure they receive the support required to succeed in life,” he said.
The Director-General noted that the exercise would cover every public and private school in Lagos State.
He explained that while the morning session of the stakeholders’ engagement focused on public school representatives, another session was later held with private school associations and other stakeholders to ensure that all groups were fully involved in the planning process.
The Lagos State Government has in recent years increased investment in digital governance and data management across several sectors. LASRRA, which is responsible for registering residents in the state, has continued to expand its database as part of efforts to improve planning, security, social services and public administration.
With the latest initiative, the Lagos State Government hopes to build a comprehensive education database that links student identity with educational records, allowing policymakers to make better-informed decisions while ensuring that every child enrolled in school has a recognised and verifiable identity.
Officials believe the program will not only strengthen identity registration across the state but also improve educational planning, enhance student data management and support more effective policy implementation in Lagos’ education sector.