FG Unveils Data-Driven Education Reforms, Targets Better Learning Outcomes
Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has said the Federal Government is using new education data to drive reforms aimed at improving literacy, numeracy, and learning outcomes across the country.
Alausa made this known on Monday while speaking at the Education World Forum (EWF) in London, where he met with education ministers and stakeholders from different parts of the world to discuss Nigeria’s education reforms.
According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Ikharo Attah, the minister said the newly introduced National Education Data Initiative (NEDI) has helped expose major gaps in the country’s education funding and performance.
He revealed that data gathered through the initiative showed that about 80 per cent of donor funding over the last decade went to the North-West and North-East regions, despite the areas still recording some of the lowest literacy and numeracy levels in Nigeria.
“NEDI data revealed a key issue: 80 per cent of donor funds in the last decade went to the North-West and North-East, yet those zones still have the lowest literacy and numeracy rates. We now have the data to redirect resources where they deliver results,” Alausa said.
Speaking on ongoing foundational literacy and numeracy reforms, the minister explained that the government has now unified literacy programmes under one national standard covering both formal and non-formal education systems.
He said the government is currently expanding the RANA programme for pupils in Primary 1 to 3 and the Teaching at the Right Level initiative for Primary 4 to 6 across 15 states through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
According to him, the programmes rely on structured lesson plans, regular teacher coaching, and continuous assessments to improve learning outcomes.
Alausa also highlighted the role of the Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP), developed by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), in addressing the out-of-school children crisis.
He explained that the programme is designed to help out-of-school children and adolescents achieve foundational literacy and numeracy within three years before transitioning into junior secondary education.
“Both tracks now report into NEDI, so for the first time we can monitor formal and non-formal education coverage from one dashboard,” he said.
The minister added that ABEP centres and regular schools now use the same teaching materials, coaching tools, and supervision systems across participating states to ensure quality and consistency.
“There are no parallel systems, lower costs and consistent quality,” he stated.
Alausa further disclosed that foundational literacy and numeracy reforms now form a major part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda for education.
He said the Federal Government is finalising a national policy on foundational literacy and numeracy that will provide a long-term legal and institutional framework for education reforms across federal, state, and non-formal education systems.
The minister also revealed that under Nigeria’s Partnership Compact with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), about 70 per cent of funding is now tied directly to measurable improvements in learning, teacher management, and data usage.
He added that the government plans to increase UBEC’s share of the consolidated revenue fund from two per cent to four per cent as part of efforts to strengthen basic education funding nationwide.
