Education Minister says routine nationwide evaluation will measure literacy and numeracy levels, guide reforms, and strengthen the quality of teaching across Nigeria…..
The Federal Government has announced plans to make the National Learning Assessment a permanent exercise to be conducted every three years as part of efforts to address learning poverty and improve education standards nationwide.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja after inspecting the ongoing 2026 National Learning Assessment in selected public and private schools across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
During the monitoring exercise, the minister visited Government Secondary School, Kuje; Junior Secondary School, Kuje Central; and Topaz Model School, Kuje, where he assessed the conduct of the nationwide evaluation.
According to Alausa, the assessment targets pupils in Primary Three and Primary Five, as well as students in Junior Secondary School Two (JSS2) and Senior Secondary School Two (SSS2). The exercise is designed to evaluate learners’ literacy, numeracy and cognitive abilities.
He explained that the assessment would now become a recurring national exercise every three years, adding that the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has been directed to begin making budgetary provisions for future editions starting from 2029.
Alausa said the initiative would provide the government with reliable data on the quality of education being delivered in schools and help determine whether pupils are acquiring the expected knowledge and skills at every stage of learning.
He noted that while the last assessment was conducted by UBEC in 2023, the previous edition was organised by the Federal Ministry of Education in 2019, stressing that the new schedule would ensure regular tracking of learning outcomes across the country.
The minister said the decision was driven by concerns over Nigeria’s learning poverty, revealing that previous data indicated millions of children are unable to read and understand age-appropriate texts by the age of 10.
He added that earlier reports estimated that more than 42 million Nigerian children were experiencing learning poverty, but expressed confidence that ongoing reforms in the education sector would help improve future outcomes.
According to him, findings from the 2026 assessment will provide updated data that will enable the government to design targeted interventions, strengthen literacy and numeracy programmes, and formulate evidence-based education policies.
Alausa also disclosed that the Federal Government has merged multiple learning assessment frameworks into a single national system to improve consistency and make it easier to compare learning outcomes over time.
He said the initiative forms part of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative and aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s education reform agenda aimed at building a stronger foundation for national development.
Speaking on the role of private schools, the minister acknowledged their contribution to expanding access to education, noting that they have helped keep many children in classrooms who might otherwise have been out of school.
He, however, emphasised the need for stronger oversight to ensure private institutions comply with approved standards and continue to provide quality education.
Alausa also commended the learning environment in both the public and private schools visited, describing the facilities as clean, conducive and supportive of effective teaching and learning.
Also speaking, the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Education Secretariat, Dr. Danlami Hayyo, disclosed that more than 120 public schools have been renovated under the administration of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
According to Hayyo, the upgrades covered classrooms, boarding facilities and sanitation infrastructure, adding that the FCT Administration remains committed to supporting the Federal Government’s efforts to improve learning outcomes through the National Learning Assessment.
