Nigeria unveils unified learning overhaul at London forum, eyes end to learning poverty

FAVOUR ISHEMBER, Abuja

Nigeria’s Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, presented the tangible gains achieved in the country’s education sector under President Bola Tinubu, stating these reforms are set to benefit future generations.

He made the remarks on Monday at a special roundtable during the Education World Forum in London, UK. There, he briefed fellow education ministers and international stakeholders on Nigeria’s reforms in foundational learning.

In a press statement issued by Ikharo Attah, Special Adviser (Media & Communications) to The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Alausa explained that Nigeria has now aligned its early literacy and numeracy delivery under one national framework that spans both formal schools and non-formal learning centers.

“We are expanding RANA for Primary 1-3 and the Teaching at the Right Level approach for Primary 4-6 across 15 states via UBEC. The model relies on standardized lesson guides, weekly mentorship for teachers, and consistent learner evaluations,” he stated.

He added that the Accelerated Basic Education Programme, created by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, achieves identical literacy and numeracy results for children and teens outside the school system within a three-year timeframe.

“For the first time, both streams feed into NEDI, giving us a single dashboard to track coverage across formal and non-formal education,” he noted.

The minister pointed to subnational reforms already producing measurable results, naming EKOEXCEL, KwaraLEARN, and BayelsaPRIME as examples of data-backed, tech-enabled teaching systems that work.

“The results speak for themselves. KwaraLEARN cut foundational learning gaps by 50% in under two years, while BayelsaPRIME raised literacy rates by 20 percentage points in just 19 weeks. This approach is effective, and we’re rolling it out nationwide,” he said.

On policy and financing changes, Alausa said foundational literacy and numeracy are now central to President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the National Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Programme.

He revealed that the federal government is putting the final touches on a National Policy on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy. The policy aims to lock in a lasting legal and institutional structure for reforms across federal, state, and non-formal education.

“Through our Partnership Compact with the Global Partnership for Education, 70% of funding is linked directly to measurable outcomes in learning, teacher oversight, and data use,” he disclosed.

Alausa also announced plans to raise the Universal Basic Education Commission’s allocation from the Consolidated Revenue Fund from 2% to 4%, effectively doubling federal investment in basic education.

Addressing the challenge of out-of-school children, he explained that ABEP creates a recognized route for learners outside the formal system to move into Junior Secondary School.

“ABEP centers and formal schools now use identical coaching methods and learning materials, with SUBEB officials overseeing both across 15 states. This eliminates parallel systems, lowers costs, and ensures consistent standards,” he explained.

On accountability and evidence-based management, Alausa said the newly launched National Education Data Initiative has uncovered major weaknesses in how donor funds are being used.

He stressed that Nigeria has moved away from focusing only on educational inputs and is now prioritizing measurable learning results. He expressed confidence that the current reforms will significantly reduce learning poverty across the country.

“With the National FLN Policy nearly complete and a single standard now applied to both formal and non-formal systems, we are laying a foundation that will outlive any single program cycle. That’s how we’ll eliminate learning poverty at scale,” he concluded.

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