Alausa Orders Six-Month Review of Education Reforms, Demands Accountability

The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, has ordered a six-month review of the Federal Government’s education reform deliverables, directing officials responsible for the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) to take full ownership of their assignments and resolve implementation bottlenecks.

Alausa gave the directive on Friday in Abuja at the Ministerial Deliverables Meeting on NESRI, where the Ministry reviewed progress made since the last NESRI retreat in February and set fresh timelines for outstanding assignments.

The meeting focused on verifying completed deliverables, assessing pending tasks and the challenges delaying them, setting realistic timelines for outstanding commitments, as well as identifying additional deliverables and emerging priorities.

The Minister said the review was intended to provide an honest assessment of the reform process rather than an opportunity for officials to celebrate achievements already recorded.

“Today is not about celebrating what we have done and going home. It is about looking at what we have done, what remains to be done and how we can finish what we have started,” Alausa said.

The exercise required officials to scrutinise deliverables reported as completed to establish whether they had been fully achieved before being formally closed. The Ministry also examined pending assignments and tasked coordinators with identifying specific bottlenecks and practical solutions to overcome them.

Alausa directed that clear and achievable completion dates be established for outstanding deliverables, with the officials responsible for each assignment expected to remain accountable for meeting the agreed targets.

The Minister commended the coordinators and other officials for their contributions to the education renewal agenda but warned against complacency, stressing that achievements already recorded should serve as a foundation for further progress.

He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had demonstrated strong political commitment to education and continued to provide the support required to implement reforms aimed at improving access, quality and relevance across the country’s education system.

Alausa said the mandate given to him and the Minister of State for Education was to ensure that every Nigerian child had access to quality education capable of providing the knowledge, skills and opportunities required to succeed.

He noted that NESRI covered several critical areas, including Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), the out-of-school children crisis, girl-child education, quality assurance, data and digitalisation.

The Minister stressed that the success of the reforms would ultimately be determined by their impact on learners and schools rather than the number of programmes launched or meetings held by government officials.

He therefore urged programme coordinators, directors and other officials to strengthen collaboration, maintain clear ownership of their responsibilities and focus on measurable outcomes.

The meeting also considered new deliverables and emerging priorities that require attention as the Ministry continues to implement its education reform agenda.

Alausa assured Nigerians that the Ministry would sustain implementation of the President’s education agenda and continue to address emerging challenges, with the broader objective of creating an education system that equips Nigerian children with relevant knowledge and skills and gives them greater opportunities to fulfil their potential.