The Minister of Education Tunji Alausa said the North West and North East have recorded the lowest literacy and numeracy rates despite the Federal Government channelling nearly 80 per cent of donor funding to the regions.
He said this during a roundtable session at the Education World Forum in London, where he showcased Nigeria’s education reforms before global education ministers and development partners. According to him, findings from the National Education Data Initiative (NEDI) revealed major gaps in the effectiveness of donor-supported interventions in the education sector.
Alausa said: “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.” The minister said the Federal Government has shifted its focus from educational inputs to measurable learning outcomes.
According to him, Nigeria has unified foundational literacy delivery under a single national standard covering both formal and non-formal education systems. Alausa said: “We’re scaling RANA for Primary 1 to 3 and Teaching at the Right Level for Primary 4 to 6 across 15 states through UBEC. This uses structured lesson plans, weekly teacher coaching and regular assessments.”
He said the Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP), developed by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NEDI), delivers the same foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes for out-of-school children and adolescents within three years. The minister said: “Both tracks now report into NEDI, so for the first time we can monitor formal and non-formal education coverage from one dashboard.”
Speaking on efforts to address the out-of-school children crisis, Alausa said the Accelerated Basic Education Programme was designed to provide a pathway for children outside the formal system to transition into Junior Secondary School.
He said: “ABEP centres and formal schools now use the same coaching tools and learning materials, with SUBEB officers supervising both systems across 15 states. “There are no parallel systems, lower costs and consistent quality.”
The minister expressed confidence that the ongoing reforms would significantly reduce learning poverty nationwide. He said: “With the National Policy on FLN nearly finalised and one standard across formal and non-formal systems, we are building a foundation that will outlast any single programme cycle. That is how we will end learning poverty at scale.”
