The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has declared that Nigeria’s education reforms can only succeed through stronger collaboration between the Federal and State Governments and a deliberate shift to data-driven decision-making, insisting that education remains the country’s most strategic investment for economic growth, national security and sustainable development.
Alausa made the declaration while opening the five-day Executive Retreat for the Commissioners of Education, organised by the Committee of States’ Commissioners of Education (COSCEN), where he also urged states to meet the requirements needed to access the World Bank-supported US$552 million HOPE Education Programme.
The Minister said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has placed education at the heart of the Renewed Hope Agenda by providing the political leadership and support required to implement bold reforms capable of transforming the nation’s education sector.
According to him, while the Federal Government provides policy direction and strategic interventions, the responsibility for delivering quality education rests largely with state governments, making closer collaboration essential for achieving lasting reforms.
He commended COSCEN, under the leadership of its Chairman, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, for convening the retreat, describing it as a timely platform for strengthening strategic leadership, encouraging peer learning and deepening cooperation among education stakeholders across the federation.
The Minister, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Communications, Mr Ikharo Attah, identified the transition from assumption-based planning to evidence-based governance as one of the most significant reforms currently underway in the education sector.
He announced the deployment of the National Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI) and the Digitalised Nigeria Education Management Information System (DNEMIS), explaining that the integrated digital platforms would provide real-time information on learner enrolment, teacher deployment, school infrastructure, learning outcomes and other key indicators required for effective planning, budgeting, monitoring and resource allocation.
The Minister explained that the new digital ecosystem would integrate education data from schools, local governments, states and federal institutions into a single interoperable platform, thereby improving accountability, transparency and service delivery across the sector.
He urged all states to complete their Annual School Census using the digitised platform, while commending Kaduna and Borno States for their progress and encouraging other states to accelerate implementation.
According to him, the Federal Ministry of Education has already deployed digital dashboards and smart boards to support evidence-based planning, with the National Bureau of Statistics providing analytical support to strengthen education planning nationwide.
Alausa also called on Commissioners of Education to take full advantage of the World Bank-supported HOPE Education Programme, which provides US$552 million in performance-based financing to eligible states.
He noted that although all 36 states qualify to benefit from the programme, several have yet to complete critical requirements, including signing Subsidiary Loan Agreements (SLAs), opening designated programme accounts and fulfilling mandatory data reporting obligations.
The Minister urged states to work closely with the Federal Ministry of Education and the World Bank to meet the Programme-for-Results conditions and unlock additional resources to improve access to education, learning outcomes and education governance.
To sustain the ongoing reforms, Alausa proposed that the Council of State Commissioners of Education institutionalise quarterly review meetings to promote peer learning, monitor implementation progress, share best practices and strengthen collective accountability.
Highlighting priorities under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), he disclosed that the Federal Government is expanding access to affordable digital learning technologies, including offline instructional platforms, comprehensive digital learning resources from Primary One to Senior Secondary School and teacher support tools aimed at improving classroom instruction.
The Minister, however, cautioned against investing exclusively in expensive smart school infrastructure without adequate provisions for maintenance and sustainability, stressing that quality instructional materials, effective teacher support and conducive learning environments remain the most important drivers of improved learning outcomes.
He reaffirmed that education is a shared national responsibility that transcends political affiliations and urged stakeholders to institutionalise reliable education data, strengthen accountability, invest in human capital and sustain collaborative reforms capable of delivering measurable improvements in learning outcomes.
Declaring the retreat open, Alausa challenged Commissioners to embrace evidence over assumptions, collaboration over isolation and continuity over fragmented reforms, maintaining that Nigeria’s future prosperity and global competitiveness would depend largely on the quality of education provided to today’s learners.
Delivering the keynote address titled ‘Beyond the Tenure of Commissioners: Sustaining Education Reforms in the Era of Digital Disruption,’ former Minister of Aviation and Chancellor of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, Mr Osita Chidoka, urged Commissioners to build reforms that outlive political administrations.
He argued that sustainable improvements in education require policy continuity, reliable data, stronger teacher development, accountability and consistent investment in learning outcomes rather than short-term interventions.
Also speaking, the World Bank’s Senior Economist and Task Team Leader for the HOPE Education Programme, Mr Shin Nomura, who represented the Country Director, Mr Matthew Verghis, reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education reform agenda.
Nomura disclosed that the HOPE Education Programme became effective in March 2026 and is designed to strengthen education governance, financing, teacher development, learning outcomes and data systems through a performance-based financing model.
He encouraged all states to complete the necessary preparatory requirements to enable timely access to the programme’s funding.