The Federal Government has urged state governments to leverage their improved financial resources to ensure that every Nigerian child has access to quality education, stressing that increased funding should translate into greater investment in the education sector.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, made the call while speaking with journalists after inspecting schools in Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State during the National Learning Assessment Week.
Prof. Ahmad said state governments now have better financial capacity to provide conducive learning environments and tackle the challenge of out-of-school children, urging them to prioritise education in their development agenda.
“You have better funding to ensure every child has access to better education,” the minister stated, adding that the Federal Government remains committed to supporting states in expanding access to quality education.
She disclosed that the Federal Government has concluded plans to reintegrate 5,000 out-of-school children into formal education in Jigawa State as part of efforts to reduce school exclusion and improve access to basic education across the country.
According to the minister, the National Learning Assessment was introduced to establish a unified national framework for evaluating students’ academic performance at critical stages of learning and to enhance educational outcomes nationwide.
She explained that previous assessments were conducted separately by the Federal Government and state governments, noting that the new approach would provide a coordinated and comprehensive evaluation system across the country.
Prof. Ahmad expressed satisfaction with the arrangements put in place by the Jigawa State Government as well as the conduct of the ongoing end-of-term examinations in the schools visited.
She reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to creating a conducive learning environment and called on state governments to intensify efforts towards the reintegration of out-of-school children into formal education.
The minister emphasised that collaborative efforts between the Federal and state governments remain crucial to achieving inclusive and equitable education for all Nigerian children.
