Adagba hails national learning assessment as strategic initiative

Executive Chairman of the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Grace Adagba, has hailed the National Learning Assessment (NLA) as a strategic initiative that would provide valuable insights into learners’ performance and strengthen the quality of education delivery.

June 29 to July 5 was declared as the 2026 National Learning Assessment Week by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa across the country.

The exercise commenced in Benue State with the training of assessors under the joint implementation of the Federal Ministry of Education, the World Bank, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

Speaking at the training exercise on Monday at the headquarters of SUBEB in Makurdi, Dr. Adagba explained that it was aimed at equipping assessors with the requisite skills for effective implementation and credible data collection.

She said a pilot phase of the assessment was conducted in May 2026 across three local government areas, while the main exercise in Benue State would cover 11 local government education authorities (LGEAs).

She noted that the exercise was particularly significant following the recruitment of over 9,000 teachers by the administration of Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia, as the findings would help identify learning gaps, assess progress and guide targeted interventions.

Declaring the commencement of the exercise in Benue, the NLA Team Lead from the UBEC Headquarters, Dr. Phoebe Veronica Jatau, explained that it is a merger of the National Monitoring of Learning Achievement (NMLA) and the National Assessment on Learning Achievement in Basic Education (NALABE).

She stated that the assessment targets learners in Basic 3, Basic 5, Basic 9 and Senior Secondary School 2 (SSS 2) in both public and private schools and urged assessors to uphold transparency, integrity and accuracy in the administration of the assessment tools, stressing that credible data remains essential for effective planning and policy direction.

Participants at the training included principals and head teachers from the 11 LGEAs, quality assurance officers, SUBEB board members and representatives from the federal and state ministries of education.