Jane Salihu
The Federal Government has called for a stronger partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to consolidate ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s education sector, with particular emphasis on ensuring that both boys and girls have equal opportunities to acquire quality education and skill
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, made the call in Abuja while receiving the newly appointed UNESCO Country Representative to Nigeria, Professor Isaiah Barreto Da Rosa, on a courtesy visit, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah.
Alausa said the Federal Government was seeking deeper technical cooperation with UNESCO to advance the education transformation agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stressing that strategic partnerships must translate into practical improvements across the education system.
The Minister disclosed that more than one million out-of-school children had returned to school within the last 20 months, while almost 6.7 million girls had benefited from interventions designed to improve access to education and retention in school.
However, he said the progress recorded in girl-child education should now be complemented by increased attention to the educational needs of boys.
According to him, Nigeria’s human capital development strategy must be inclusive and ensure that no child is left behind, irrespective of gender.
Alausa said the government’s education reform agenda was being driven by six priority areas: Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), reintegration of out-of-school children, data and digitalisation, girl-child education and quality assurance.
He said investments were being channelled into skills development, technology and teacher capacity, while improved education data was increasingly enabling the government to identify areas of need, target interventions and assess outcomes.
On teacher development, the Minister welcomed UNESCO’s technical support, particularly its contribution to the Ministry’s Accelerated Teacher Professional Programme, which targets one million in-service teachers.
He also cited UNESCO’s support in TVET assessment, digital transformation, peace education, and media and information literacy, noting that international partnerships should complement programmes already initiated by the Nigerian Government.
Responding, UNESCO Country Representative to Nigeria, Professor Isaiah Barreto Da Rosa, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education reforms.
Da Rosa described UNESCO as a technical partner ready to provide expertise in areas identified as priorities by the Nigerian Government, recalling the organisation’s longstanding presence in Nigeria since the 1960s.
He said UNESCO had continued to support Nigeria in areas including TVET, teacher development, education for peace, science, culture, communication and information.
The UNESCO representative commended the Ministry’s progress in digitising education data and expressed the organisation’s readiness to deepen cooperation in TVET, teacher capacity development and the reintegration of out-of-school children.
He disclosed that UNESCO-supported programmes had trained more than 28,000 teachers across different states and reached over 1.7 million students, adding that its specialised institutes remained available to provide additional technical expertise.
Alausa assured the UNESCO representative that the Ministry would continue to work closely with the organisation to translate the partnership into measurable outcomes.
He said the government remained committed to mobilising domestic resources and leveraging strategic technical partnerships to expand access to education, improve quality and equip Nigerian children and young people with the knowledge and skills required to contribute meaningfully to national development.
