WorldStage– The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has called for deeper collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to advance the education transformation agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Alausa made the call in Abuja while receiving the newly appointed UNESCO Country Representative to Nigeria, Professor Isaiah Barreto Da Rosa, on a courtesy visit, with discussions centred on strengthening cooperation in key areas of Nigeria’s education reform programme.
Highlighting the progress of the Tinubu administration, the Minister disclosed that more than one million out-of-school children had returned to the classroom in the last 20 months, while almost 6.7 million girls had benefited from interventions aimed at improving access to and retention in school.
He also advocated a more balanced approach that sustains the gains made in girl-child education while giving greater attention to the educational needs of boys, stressing that Nigeria’s human capital development must leave no child behind.
Alausa explained that the government’s reform programme is anchored on six priority areas: Technical and Vocational Education and Training, STEM education, the reintegration of out-of-school children, data and digitalisation, girl-child education, and quality assurance.
He noted that significant investments were being made in skills development, technology and teacher capacity, while reliable data was increasingly being used to identify needs, target interventions and measure outcomes.
On teacher development, the Minister welcomed UNESCO’s technical support and highlighted the Ministry’s Accelerated Teacher Professional Programme, which targets one million in-service teachers.
He also acknowledged UNESCO’s contributions to TVET assessment and digital transformation, education for peace, and media and information literacy, noting that partnerships would be most effective when they reinforce programmes and initiatives already established by the Nigerian Government.
Speaking earlier, the UNESCO Country Representative to Nigeria, Professor Isaiah Barreto Da Rosa, reaffirmed UNESCO’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s reform efforts and described the organisation as a technical partner ready to provide expertise in areas identified by the country.
He recalled UNESCO’s longstanding presence in Nigeria since the 1960s and highlighted its work in TVET, teacher development, education for peace, science, culture, communication and information.
Professor Da Rosa commended the Ministry’s progress in digitising education data and expressed readiness to deepen cooperation in areas including 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, while its specialised institutes remained available to provide additional expertise.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to the partnership, Alausa assured the UNESCO Representative that the Ministry would continue to work closely with the organisation to deliver practical results under the education reform agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He stressed that the administration remains committed to mobilising domestic resources and leveraging strategic technical partnerships to improve access, strengthen quality and equip both boys and girls with the knowledge and skills required to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s development.
