The Honourable Minister of Education Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa (FAMedS), CON, has held a high-level bilateral meeting in Doha with Her Excellency Lolwah bint Rashid bin Mohammed Al Khater, Minister of Education and Higher Education of the State of Qatar, to advance cooperation on inclusive education and address the challenge of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
During the meeting, both Ministers reviewed Nigeria’s comprehensive national plan to transform Almajiri and out-of-school education, including large-scale Mallam training, upgrading of Tsangaya school infrastructure, and support for the 33 bilingual schools constructed by the Islamic Development Bank across 11 states. Dr. Alausa highlighted Nigeria’s commitment to reintegrating millions of marginalized learners into quality education, improving literacy, numeracy, vocational skills, and strengthening safe learning environments.
The Honourable Minister also met with Mr. Fahad Hamad Al-Sulaiti, Director-General of the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), and Mr. Mohammed Saad Al-Kubaisi, CEO of Education Above All (EAA). Discussions focused on strategic partnerships to support Nigeria’s efforts in reducing educational exclusion, promoting child protection, and expanding access to modern, inclusive learning for vulnerable children.
Both leaders expressed strong commitment to partnering with Nigeria to implement large-scale Mallam training, enhance Tsangaya school infrastructure, and strengthen the operations of bilingual schools to ensure sustainable, high-quality learning outcomes. The Federal Ministry of Education will finalize and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the relevant Qatari institutions early next year to operationalize these areas of collaboration.
Dr. Alausa reaffirmed Nigeria’s determination to work closely with Qatar’s Ministry of Education, Education Above All, and QFFD to deliver impactful, scalable solutions that will transform the educational landscape for Almajiri and out-of-school children, contributing to national stability and long-term human capital development.
Signed
Folasade Boriowo
Director, Press & Public Relations
