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NEDI, DNEMIS will end guesswork in education sector
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has said reliable and timely data must become the foundation of education planning and policy implementation in Nigeria, warning that reforms based on assumptions cannot deliver sustainable improvements in learning outcomes.
Alausa made the declaration on Tuesday at the opening of a five-day Executive Retreat for Commissioners of Education, organised by the Committee of States’ Commissioners of Education (COSCEN).
The Minister disclosed that the Federal Government was transitioning from assumption-based planning to evidence-based governance through the deployment of the National Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI) and the Digitalised Nigeria Education Management Information System (DNEMIS).
According to the Minister, the two integrated digital platforms are designed to provide real-time information on learner enrolment, teacher deployment, school infrastructure, learning outcomes, and other critical indicators needed for effective planning, budgeting, monitoring, and resource allocation.
He said the platforms would integrate education data from schools, local governments, states, and federal institutions into a single interoperable system, enabling governments to make decisions based on reliable evidence.
Alausa said: “We must move from planning based on assumptions to planning based on evidence. The quality of our decisions, our budgets and our interventions can only be as good as the data on which they are based.”
He urged the 36 states to complete their annual school census through the digitised platform, noting that accurate data was critical to determining where teachers, classrooms, instructional materials, and other resources were most urgently required.
The Minister commended Kaduna and Borno states for their progress in the exercise, while urging other states to accelerate implementation.
He disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Education had deployed digital dashboards and smart boards to strengthen evidence-based planning, with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) providing additional analytical support.
Alausa said President Bola Tinubu had placed education at the centre of his Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that the Federal Government’s policy direction and strategic interventions must be matched by effective implementation at state level.
“While the Federal Government provides policy direction and strategic interventions, the responsibility for delivering quality education rests largely with the states. This makes collaboration between the Federal and State Governments indispensable,” he said.
The Minister also urged states to take advantage of the World Bank-supported HOPE Education Programme, which provides US$552 million in performance-based financing to eligible states that meet agreed implementation milestones.
He said although all 36 states were eligible to benefit, some were yet to fulfil critical requirements, including signing Subsidiary Loan Agreements, opening designated programme accounts, and meeting mandatory data-reporting obligations.
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Alausa, thus, urged the Commissioners to work with the Federal Ministry of Education and the World Bank to meet the requirements and unlock the funds for improving access, learning outcomes, teacher development, and education governance.
He said reliable education data would also strengthen accountability by enabling governments and stakeholders to track whether resources were reaching intended beneficiaries and whether interventions were producing measurable results.
The Minister proposed quarterly review meetings for the Council of State Commissioners of Education to promote peer learning, exchange best practices, and strengthen collective accountability.
He also highlighted other reforms under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), including the expansion of affordable digital learning technologies, offline instructional platforms, and digital learning resources covering Primary One to Senior Secondary School.
He said teacher-support tools were also being expanded to improve lesson delivery and classroom instruction.
The Minister, however, cautioned states against concentrating their investments solely on expensive smart-school infrastructure without adequate consideration for maintenance and sustainability.
He stressed that instructional materials, effective teacher support, and conducive learning environments remained central to improving learning outcomes.
In his keynote presentation titled, “Beyond the Tenure of Commissioners: Sustaining Education Reforms in the Era of Digital Disruption,” former Minister of Aviation and Chancellor of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, Mr Osita Chidoka, urged the Commissioners to pursue reforms capable of surviving changes in political administrations.
Chidoka identified policy continuity, reliable data, teacher development, accountability, and sustained investment in learning outcomes as essential to building a resilient education system.
Representing the World Bank Country Director, Mr Matthew Verghis, Senior Economist and Task Team Leader for the HOPE Education Programme, Mr Shin Nomura, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education reforms.
Nomura said the HOPE Programme became effective in March 2026 and was designed to strengthen education governance, financing, teacher development, learning outcomes, and data systems through performance-based financing.
He urged states to complete all preparatory requirements to facilitate timely access to the programme’s funding, stressing that education remained a shared national responsibility that should transcend political affiliations. He urged stakeholders to embrace evidence over assumptions, collaboration over isolation, and continuity over fragmented reforms.
He maintained that the future prosperity, competitiveness, and development of Nigeria would ultimately depend on the quality of education provided to its citizens.
