The Federal Government has challenged state governors to deploy their improved financial resources towards tackling Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis, insisting that increased revenue should be reflected in greater investment in quality education.
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, issued the charge on Thursday while speaking with journalists after inspecting schools in Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State during the National Learning Assessment Week.
She said state governments now have the financial capacity to provide better learning infrastructure, improve access to education and ensure that no Nigerian child is denied the opportunity to attend school.
“You have better funding to ensure every child has access to better education,” the minister said, urging governors to make education a top development priority.
Prof. Ahmad reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting states in expanding access to quality education, revealing that plans have been concluded to reintegrate 5,000 out-of-school children in Jigawa State into the formal education system.
She explained that the initiative forms part of broader efforts to reduce school exclusion and improve access to basic education across the country.
The minister also highlighted the importance of the National Learning Assessment, describing it as a unified framework designed to evaluate students’ academic performance at critical stages of learning and strengthen educational outcomes nationwide.
According to her, the new assessment system replaces the previous arrangement under which the Federal Government and states conducted separate evaluations, providing a more coordinated approach to measuring learning achievements across Nigeria.
Prof. Ahmad expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the ongoing end-of-term examinations and the learning environment in the schools visited, commending the Jigawa State Government for its preparations.
She, however, stressed that the responsibility of addressing the country’s education challenges, particularly the growing number of out-of-school children, rests heavily on state governments.
The minister called for stronger collaboration between the Federal Government and the states to ensure inclusive, equitable and quality education for every Nigerian child, insisting that no child should be left behind.
