Education Minister Says North East, North West Lag Despite Donor Funds

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, says the North East and North West regions have recorded the lowest literacy and numeracy rates nationwide despite receiving 80 percent of Nigeria’s education donor funding in the last ten years. Alausa spoke on Monday at the Education World Forum in London, where he engaged education ministers and global stakeholders on Nigeria’s foundational learning reforms. 

According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Ikharo Attah, the minister said the National Educational Research and Development Council data revealed that 80 percent of donor funds in the last decade went to the North West and North East, yet those zones still have the lowest literacy and numeracy rates. He said the federal government now has credible data to redirect resources where they deliver results.

Speaking on Nigeria’s Foundational Literacy and Numeracy initiatives, Alausa said the country had successfully unified foundational literacy delivery under a single national standard covering both formal and non-formal education systems. He noted that the government is scaling the Reading and Numeracy Activity for Primary 1 to 3 and Teaching at the Right Level for Primary 4 to 6 across 15 states through the Universal Basic Education Commission, using structured lesson plans, weekly teacher coaching and regular assessments. 

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He also highlighted the Accelerated Basic Education Programme, developed by NERDC, which delivers the same foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes for out-of-school children and adolescents within three years. The minister said both formal and non-formal education tracks now report into NERDC, so for the first time Nigeria can monitor coverage from one dashboard.