The Federal Government has revealed a major shift in its education financing strategy, linking future spending decisions to a new data-driven allocation system designed to improve learning outcomes across Nigeria.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed that nearly 80 per cent of donor funding to Nigeria’s education sector over the past decade was directed to the North-West and North-East regions, despite persistent poor literacy and numeracy performance in those areas.
He made the revelation on Monday during a high-level roundtable session at the Education World Forum in London, United Kingdom, where global education policymakers and development partners gathered to review reforms in foundational learning.
According to Alausa, the Federal Government has now adopted improved education data systems that will guide how resources are distributed across states and regions, ensuring that funding is tied more directly to measurable learning outcomes rather than historical allocation patterns.
“NEDI data revealed a key issue: 80 per cent of donor funds in the last decade went to the North-West and North-East, yet those zones still have the lowest literacy and numeracy rates,” the minister said.
He added that Nigeria can no longer rely on outdated distribution models that fail to reflect actual performance, stressing that data now plays a central role in education planning.
“We now have the data to redirect resources where they deliver results,” Alausa stated.
The minister explained that the Federal Government is strengthening its Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) framework through harmonised systems that unify formal and non-formal education delivery nationwide.
He said key interventions such as the Reading and Numeracy Activity (RANA) and Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) are being expanded across 15 states under the supervision of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
“This uses structured lesson plans, weekly teacher coaching and regular assessments,” he noted.
Alausa also highlighted the Accelerated Basic Education Programme developed by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), describing it as a structured pathway for out-of-school children to achieve foundational competencies within three years.
According to him, all interventions are now integrated into the National Education Data Initiative (NEDI), allowing government to monitor both formal and informal education systems through a single national dashboard for the first time.
“Both tracks now report into NEDI, so for the first time we can monitor formal and non-formal education coverage from one dashboard,” he said.
The minister pointed to several state-led programmes, including EKOEXCEL in Lagos, KwaraLEARN in Kwara, and BayelsaPRIME in Bayelsa, as evidence that data-driven reforms are already improving learning outcomes in Nigeria.
“The impact is measurable. KwaraLEARN halved foundational learning deficiencies in less than two years, while BayelsaPRIME improved literacy by 20 percentage points in just 19 weeks,” he said.
Alausa added that foundational literacy and numeracy reforms have become central to President Bola Tinubu’s education agenda, with a new national policy currently being finalised to provide legal backing for long-term implementation.
He further disclosed plans to increase UBEC’s share of the Consolidated Revenue Fund from 2 per cent to 4 per cent, a move he said would significantly boost investment in basic education.
On tackling Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis, the minister said the Accelerated Basic Education Programme has been designed to reintegrate learners into formal junior secondary education, ensuring continuity rather than parallel systems.
“ABEP centres and formal schools now use the same coaching tools and learning materials… There are no parallel systems, lower costs and consistent quality,” he explained.
Alausa also revealed that the newly deployed National Education Data Initiative has exposed long-standing gaps in donor-funded interventions, strengthening accountability across the education sector.
He said over 32 million students have already been captured under the NEDI platform, which currently spans more than 220,000 schools across 21 states.
The system integrates data from key agencies, including UBEC, JAMB, WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB, and is expected to serve as a central national education database.
A key feature of the initiative is the introduction of a National Learner Identity Number, which will assign a unique identifier to every student throughout their academic journey.
According to the minister, the reforms signal a major transition in Nigeria’s education system from input-based funding to outcome-based accountability.
“With the National Policy on FLN nearly finalised and one standard across formal and non-formal systems, we are building a foundation that will outlast any single programme cycle. That is how we will end learning poverty at scale,” he added.
