The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has said the Federal Government will now adopt a data-driven approach to guide education funding and resource allocation across the country.
Alausa made this known on Monday during a special roundtable session at the Education World Forum held in London, United Kingdom, where he met with global education stakeholders to discuss Nigeria’s foundational learning reforms.
According to him, analysis from the National Education Data Initiative (NEDI) showed that about 80 per cent of donor funding to education in the last decade was directed to the North-West and North-East regions, despite persistent low performance in literacy and numeracy outcomes.
“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,” he said.
“We now have the data to redirect resources where they deliver results,” the minister added.
Alausa explained that the government is strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy programmes by standardising delivery across formal and non-formal education systems.
He said initiatives such as the Reading and Numeracy Activity (RANA) and Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) are being expanded across multiple states under the supervision of the Universal Basic Education Commission.
“We are scaling RANA for Primary 1 to 3 and Teaching at the Right Level for Primary 4 to 6 across 15 states through UBEC,” he said.
The minister also noted that the Accelerated Basic Education Programme developed by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council is helping out-of-school children complete foundational learning within a shorter period.
According to him, all education interventions are now being integrated into the NEDI dashboard to enable real-time monitoring of both formal and non-formal education systems.
He highlighted state-level initiatives such as EKOEXCEL in Lagos, KwaraLEARN in Kwara State and BayelsaPRIME in Bayelsa State as evidence that data-driven reforms are improving learning outcomes.
“The impact is measurable. KwaraLEARN halved foundational learning deficiencies in less than two years, while BayelsaPRIME improved literacy by 20 percentage points in just 19 weeks,” he said.
Alausa added that the reforms are aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises foundational learning and education reform.
He also disclosed plans to increase the Universal Basic Education Commission’s share of the Consolidated Revenue Fund from 2 per cent to 4 per cent to boost investment in basic education.
On addressing out-of-school children, the minister said the Accelerated Basic Education Programme provides a structured pathway for reintegration into formal schooling at junior secondary level.
He explained that a National Learner Identity Number is being introduced to assign each student a unique identifier for tracking progress across their academic journey.
The National Education Data Initiative currently covers millions of students across thousands of schools, with data drawn from multiple education agencies including examination bodies and national education databases.
Alausa said the reforms mark a shift from input-based funding to measurable learning outcomes, aimed at reducing learning poverty and improving accountability in Nigeria’s education sector.
