Parents and guardians enrolling children in Lagos schools must now ensure each learner has a valid Lagos State Residents Registration Agency number.
The requirement applies to both public and private schools from the 2026/2027 academic session, according to the Lagos State Office of Education Quality Assurance.
Schools were directed to begin obtaining and recording learners’ LASRRA numbers from September 14.
The policy extends the registration requirement across the wider school system, including private schools.
LASRRA says private schools have already begun inviting agency officials to register pupils and that the registration exercise is free.
Why Lagos says the registration matters
The state says the goal is to build a more reliable database of learners and improve planning.
LASRRA General Manager Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola said a clearer count of students across schools would help government plan education services and track learners more effectively.
LASRRA’s broader mandate covers Lagos residents of all ages who live in the state and intend to remain for at least three months.
The agency says resident data is intended to support planning for services including education, healthcare, transport and other public infrastructure.
What parents need to know
For children aged 15 and below, LASRRA says biometric capture is not required.
Parents or guardians registering a child are expected to provide supporting documents, including the child’s birth certificate, photographs and information relating to the adult carrying out the registration.
Children registered under the scheme are issued a temporary registration card pending production of a permanent card.
The important distinction is that the new school directive requires a valid LASRRA registration number for enrolment, while children aged 15 and below are not required to undergo biometric capture.
What schools must do
Schools are expected to obtain and record each learner’s valid LASRRA number as part of the enrolment process.
The Office of Education Quality Assurance has said compliance will form part of its monitoring of schools.
LASRRA also says it is taking registration services directly to schools and plans to make it easier for schools to schedule registration visits.
The agency has set a target of registering students across all private schools within one year.
What remains unclear
The policy is clear about the registration requirement, but important implementation questions remain.
The public information reviewed by IDNN does not clearly establish what sanctions apply where a school or parent fails to comply.
It is also unclear how exceptions will be handled or what happens when a learner’s registration is still pending at the point of enrolment.
Those questions matter because an administrative requirement can become an access problem if implementation is inconsistent.
For parents, the immediate step is to confirm whether a child already has a valid LASRRA number and, where necessary, complete the free registration process.
For Lagos authorities and schools, the next test is whether the requirement improves education planning without creating avoidable barriers to enrolment.
