By Mariam Abeeb
The Federal Government has engaged commissioners for education in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), alongside secretaries for education, to address the growing challenges in Nigeria’s education sector.
The meeting, held in Abuja, was centered on developing a comprehensive reform agenda where state commissioners will key into government’s initiatives to improve educational standards in the country.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, while speaking at the stakeholders’ consultative engagement, emphasised that without the involvement of the states, government’s efforts would be ineffective.
Alausa said that the ministry was engaging with the commissioners to collaborate in addressing the increasing number of out-of-school children and other challenges.
He added that addressing the problems would involve enhancing school enrollment programmes, reducing barriers to education in under-served areas and leveraging community engagement to return every child to the classroom.
The minister urged the commissioners to hold robust state-level meetings, stressing the importance of open dialogue and collaboration.
He also spoke on government’s commitment to investing in technical and vocational education to enhance the skills of Nigerian graduates.
“Our priority interventions within Nigeria’s Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) for renewed hope are Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM), Technical, Industrial, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training (TVET), out-of-school children, girls’ education, data and education quality assurance.
“We will revamp TVET to equip graduates with skills that meet local and regional labor market demands,” he said.
He called on the commissioners for education and secretaries to prioritise STEAM and TVET at the state level by ensuring sufficient budgetary allocation and innovative partnerships with private-sector stakeholders.
