The Federal Government says it will institutionalise the National Learning Assessment every three years as part of efforts to address learning poverty and improve the quality of education across the country.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja while monitoring the ongoing 2026 National Learning Assessment in selected public and private schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister visited Government Secondary School, Kuje; Junior Secondary School (JSS), Kuje Central; and Topaz Model School, Kuje, to observe the exercise.
Alausa said the assessment, which covers Primary Three, Primary Five, JSS Two and Senior Secondary School Two students, is designed to evaluate literacy, numeracy and cognitive skills.
He said the exercise would henceforth be conducted every three years, adding that the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) had been directed to make budgetary provisions for it from 2029.
“The importance of learning assessment is that we need to understand the quality of education being delivered to pupils and students at all levels and determine whether they are actually learning,” he said.
“It is a standard tool for evaluating education outcomes across different school levels. The last assessment was conducted in 2023 by UBEC, while the previous one was held in 2019 by the Federal Ministry of Education. Going forward, it will be a routine exercise every three years.”
The minister said the assessment was necessary in view of Nigeria’s learning poverty challenge, noting that available data showed that millions of children were unable to read age-appropriate texts by age 10.
He said earlier reports indicated that more than 42 million Nigerian children were classified as learning poor, though the figure was based on previous data.
Alausa expressed optimism that ongoing education reforms would improve outcomes, adding that the assessment would generate updated data to guide evidence-based policymaking.
“We need accurate data to benchmark literacy and numeracy levels and design targeted interventions to improve learning outcomes nationwide,” he said.
He also said the Federal Government had harmonised multiple assessment frameworks into a single national system to ensure consistency and enable comparison of learning outcomes over time.
According to him, the initiative forms part of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative and aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda to reposition education as a foundation for national development.
On private schools, the minister commended their role in expanding access to education, saying they had helped keep many children in school who might otherwise have been out of the classroom.
He, however, stressed the need for stronger regulation to ensure compliance with minimum standards.
“Private schools have helped us keep many children in school. We must encourage them, but we must also ensure they meet required standards,” he said.
Alausa also praised the learning environment in both public and private schools visited, describing them as clean, conducive and supportive of effective teaching and learning.
Also speaking, the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Education Secretariat, Dr. Danlami Hayyo, said more than 120 public schools had been renovated under the administration of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
He said the rehabilitation covered classrooms, boarding facilities and sanitation infrastructure, adding that the administration remained committed to supporting federal efforts to improve education quality.
Hayyo pledged continued cooperation with the Federal Government in implementing the outcomes of the National Learning Assessment to improve learning achievements among pupils and students.
NAN
