This paper examines the role of education in national development and its major purposes which include consumption and investment functions. It conceptualizes education from a social service perspective, using a rights based approach. It examined the concept of inclusive education, and analysed the statistics of enrolment for basic education in Nigeria. The findings established that enrolment for basic education increased from 30,170,969 in 2012 by 14.45% in 2013, and thereafter declined to -3.55% in 2016. Thereafter, the paper made a situational analysis of the problem of illiteracy in Nigeria particularly that of out- of- school (which include the Almajiri, pastoralist communities and girl- child) estimated at 10 million (UNICEF, 2017). Finally, it examined the Ministerial Action Plan for out- of- school children and spelt out the imperatives of data for educational planning.