The Minister for Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has outlined a new strategy focused on advancing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and enhancing the overall quality of learning in the country.
The Minister stated this in Abuja on Tuesday while declaring open the stakeholders’ consultative dialogue on the Education Sector Renewal Initiative (ESRI) 2024-2027.
The meeting had in attendance representatives from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the World Bank Group, and the European Union (EU), amongst others.
Alausa said his strategic goals include reducing the number of out-of-school children, addressing learning poverty, and enhancing skills development and human capital for the labour market.
He also emphasised the integration of out-of-school children (OOSC) and Almajiris into formal education, alongside initiatives such as conditional cash transfers, school feeding programme, and Social and Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC) for the education of girls and vulnerable populations.
Alausa also stressed the importance of strengthened governance and management in the education sector, which involves organisational reforms of relevant institutions, enhanced oversight of programmes and subnational implementation, improved planning, resource allocation, tracking, research, and monitoring.
Additionally, the Minister announced plans to build a robust data architecture and strengthen the Education Management Information System (EMIS) to improve decision-making and accountability across the sector.
“As we all know, the education sector is filled with numerous challenges. As we are aware, infrastructural decay, funding issues, unreliable data intake, cutting, planning, poor capacity, development for teachers, problem of out-of-school, we have one of the highest number of out-of-school children in the nation, in the country.
“As a ministry, we are committed to providing quality education to all Nigerians as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the land as beautiful, which ensures inclusive, equitable, and quality education and the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all,” he said
In her welcome address, Dr. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, the Minister of State for Education, acknowledged the challenges facing Nigeria’s education sector, including infrastructural issues, inadequate funding, poor teacher development, and the out-of-school children crisis.
She emphasised the Ministry’s commitment to providing quality education in line with global standards and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), noting that achieving this required collaboration with development partners, stakeholders, and the private sector.
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