The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has urged state governments to meet the conditions required to access the World Bank-supported US$552 million HOPE Education Programme, saying stronger collaboration and reliable data are critical to improving education across the country.
Speaking at the five-day Executive Retreat of the Committee of States’ Commissioners of Education (COSCEN) in Abuja on Tuesday, Alausa said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has placed education at the centre of the Renewed Hope Agenda, but states will determine how much of the reforms are delivered.
He said the Federal Government is replacing assumption-based decision-making with evidence-driven planning through the National Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI) and the Digitalised Nigeria Education Management Information System (DNEMIS).
According to him, the platforms will provide real-time data on school enrolment, teacher deployment, infrastructure and learning outcomes to support planning, budgeting and policy decisions.
Alausa urged all states to complete their Annual School Census on the digitised platform, commending Kaduna and Borno states for the progress made so far.
He also disclosed that digital dashboards and smart boards have been deployed with support from the National Bureau of Statistics.
On the HOPE Education Programme, the minister said all 36 states qualify for the US$552 million performance-based financing but many have yet to sign Subsidiary Loan Agreements, open designated accounts or meet data reporting requirements.
He urged commissioners to work with the Federal Ministry of Education and the World Bank to unlock the funds for improving access to education, learning outcomes and governance.
To sustain the reforms, Alausa proposed quarterly review meetings for state commissioners to promote peer learning and strengthen accountability.
Under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), he said the Federal Government is expanding access to affordable digital learning tools from Primary One to Senior Secondary School, while warning against investing in costly smart school projects without sustainable maintenance plans.
In a keynote presentation titled “Beyond the Tenure of Commissioners: Sustaining Education Reforms in the Era of Digital Disruption,” former Aviation Minister and Chancellor of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, Mr. Osita Chidoka, urged commissioners to build reforms that outlive political administrations.
He said lasting improvements in education require policy continuity, dependable data, stronger teacher development, accountability and sustained investment in learning outcomes rather than short-term interventions.
Representing the World Bank Country Director, Mr. Matthew Verghis, the Senior Economist and Task Team Leader for the HOPE Education Programme, Mr. Shin Nomura, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education reform agenda through the HOPE Education Programme.
He said the programme became effective in March 2026 and is designed to strengthen education governance, financing, teacher development, learning outcomes and data systems through a performance-based financing model.
(The Whistler)