The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has emphasized the need for all partners to align their projects and programs with Nigeria’s priorities to address the country’s educational challenges. This call to action was made during a meeting with representatives from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
“We must work together to fix our country’s educational system,” Dr. Alausa stressed. “The era of working in isolation is gone. We need collaborative efforts to ensure that our investments yield measurable results.”
“The era of working in isolation is gone. We must ensure that all interventions are aligned with our national priorities to effectively fix our education sector. JICA’s new interventions are commendable. However, we must scale up these efforts by incorporating UBEC to ensure that at least one effective school is established in each of the 36 states,” Dr. Alausa stated.
The Minister stressed the importance of UBEC’s involvement in expanding the effective school initiative nationwide. He proposed that teachers under the Strengthening Mathematics and Science Education (SMASE) project receive training in effective school locations to ensure synergy. The Minister proposed a high-level meeting involving JICA, UBEC, and the Ministry will be held in April to finalize a joint financing strategy for nationwide implementation.
JICA’s Chief Representative, Mr. Yuzurio Susumu, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education sector. He highlighted JICA’s initiatives, including curriculum development, ICT integration, and teacher training.
Mr. Nwanya Stephen, Program Coordinator for Education at JICA Nigeria, outlined the agency’s ongoing efforts in education, focusing on teacher development, social mobilization, and school infrastructure improvements.
The Federal Ministry of Education remains committed to working closely with JICA and other development partners to drive meaningful reforms in the education sector. The upcoming meeting in April will serve as a platform to finalize collaborative strategies for scaling up the effective school model across all 36 states, ensuring long-term sustainability and nationwide impact.
Signed
Boriowo Folasade
Director Press & PR
24th of March 2025.
