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The Federal Ministry of Education has started the process of ensuring essential textbooks and other relevant subjects are available to school kids nationwide.
The World Bank Consultant, Gerard Peart, says the bank was backing HOPE-EDU programme under the Universal Basic Education programme.
The programme is being implemented through workshops organised by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) under the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE-EDU) programme.
Participants at the workshop were from North Central and South South as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Speaking at the workshop, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Aisha Garba, lauded the Government and the ministry for supporting the implementation of the HOPE-EDU programme.
According to her, the workshops were designed to translate the programme’s objectives into practical support for states by equipping relevant federal and state officials with the knowledge, tools and systems required to strengthen implementation.
Garba stressed that the event would also enhance government’s commitment to improving the quality and availability of teaching and learning materials while building transparent and accountable systems for education service delivery.
She Said: “The engagement should therefore be positioned not simply as a technical workshop, but as an important step in translating HOPE-EDU’s investments and objectives into practical improvements at state and school levels, ultimately contributing to better teaching and learning outcomes for Nigerian children.”
The ES explained the importance of the November 15, 2026 deadline for states to demonstrate readiness for the programme.
“By November 15, 2026, your states must demonstrate readiness. This is not negotiable. It is the gateway to unlocking the first round of programme disbursements and, more importantly, the future of our children,” Garba noted.
She noted that the participation of directors responsible for academic services, teacher professional development, monitoring and evaluation, procurement, and planning, research and statistics/electronic management information systems reflected the whole-of-system approach required for successful implementation.
In her remarks, the Programme Manager HOPE-EDU, Dr. Aisha Abdul, observed that programme became effective in February 2026 while the implementation would focused on establishing the institutional, technical and operational foundations required to achieve its Programme Development Objective and Year 1 results.
She acknowledged that with the support of the World Bank team, technical experts and consultants, the programme worked with states to lay the groundwork for reforms that the workshop would translate into action.
The Programme Manager noted that the Book Supply Chain and Track-and-Trace System was central to the programme’s commitment to ensuring that teaching and learning materials procured and financed through HOPE-EDU achieve a 1:1 pupil-to-book ratio in literacy and numeracy and reach classrooms intact and on time.
She tasked state delegations to participate actively in the workshop, resolve outstanding issues and leave with clear and actionable implementation plans.
Abdul also drew participants’ attention to the November 15 deadline for submission of prerequisite evidence, urging states to use the workshop to resolve outstanding clarifications and avoid being caught unprepared.
The World Bank Consultant, Peart, identified quality, access and system strengthening as critical to making primary education functional, noting that learning poverty remained a major challenge in the sector.
“One of the major problems confronting primary education in Nigeria is learning poverty occasioned by overcrowded classrooms, lack of textbooks, teaching and learning materials. If we want to get more from basic education, textbooks must be available in the classrooms and in required quantity,” Peart said.
A representative of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Abdulgafar Otunola, stated that the ministry would continue its efforts to reposition the education sector.
Under Results Area 1 (RA1), the programme is convening a series of regional thematic workshops on the Structured Pedagogy Package (SPP) Guidance and the Book Supply Chain and Track-and-Trace (BSC/TnT) System to strengthen the capacity of federal and state officials to support effective implementation.
The HOPE-EDU is a Federal Government initiative supported by the World Bank to strengthen foundational learning through improved systems, institutional capacity and technical support.
