Tunji Alausa, minister of education, says the north-west and north-east regions have recorded the lowest literacy and numeracy rates nationwide despite receiving 80 percent of Nigeria’s education donor funding in the last 10 years.
Alausa spoke on Monday at the Education World Forum (EWF) in London, where he engaged education ministers and global stakeholders on Nigeria’s foundational learning reforms.
According to a statement by Ikharo Attah, his special adviser on media and communication, Alausa said the federal government now has credible data to guide more effective allocation of resources.
“NEDI data revealed a key issue: 80% 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,” he said.
Speaking on Nigeria’s Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) initiatives, the minister said the country had successfully unified foundational literacy delivery under a single national standard covering both formal and non-formal education systems.
“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,” Alausa said.
He noted that 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.
“Both tracks now report into NEDI, so for the first time we can monitor formal and non-formal education coverage from one dashboard,” Alausa added.
Speaking on efforts to address Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis, the minister said ABEP provides a recognised pathway for children outside the formal system to transition into Junior Secondary School.
“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,” he said.
On accountability and data-driven governance, the minister said the newly deployed National Education Data Initiative had exposed critical gaps in donor funding effectiveness.
Alausa noted that foundational literacy and numeracy now sit at the centre of President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda and the national foundational literacy and numeracy programme.
He said the federal government is finalising a national policy on foundational literacy and numeracy to provide a sustainable legal and institutional framework for reforms across federal, state and non-formal education systems.
“Through our Partnership Compact with GPE, 70 per cent of funding is tied to measurable outcomes in learning, teacher management and data utilisation,” he said.
The minister added that the government also plans to increase the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) share of the consolidated revenue fund from two per cent to four percent
