ALAUSA CALLS FOR WIDER COLLABORATION TO STRENGTHEN NIGERIA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has called for stronger cooperation among the Federal Government, private sector, philanthropic organisations and other stakeholders to address the challenges facing Nigeria’s education system. Alausa made the appeal during the Multiply Possibility Innovative Partnerships Event held in New York on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. The event was jointly hosted by the governments of Nigeria and Italy in collaboration with the Global Partnership for Education.

Alausa said the size of Nigeria’s education system required contributions from different sectors, noting that the country has about 45 million learners in basic education. He acknowledged the responsibility of government to provide leadership, policy direction and oversight but said the scale of the needs made complementary support from private organisations and philanthropic institutions essential. According to him, partnerships should move beyond isolated interventions and bring together funding, technical expertise and innovation to address national education priorities.

The minister identified several areas where stronger collaboration could make a difference, including foundational learning, teacher development, assistive technology for children living with disabilities and increasing educational opportunities for girls. He also called for successful education programmes to be properly identified, expanded and replicated so that their benefits could reach more children and communities. Alausa stressed that interventions should be designed with sustainability in mind rather than operating as short-term projects without mechanisms for wider impact.

He further said collaboration could help Nigeria improve learning outcomes and strengthen the resilience of its education system by combining public resources with expertise and innovation from other stakeholders. The minister reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to improving access to quality education and creating greater opportunities for Nigerian children. He said the government would continue to engage partners capable of supporting reforms and delivering measurable improvements across the sector.

Alausa maintained that sustainable progress in education would require collective responsibility, innovation and long-term investment. He urged stakeholders participating in education development to work together around clearly defined national priorities and ensure that resources are directed towards interventions with lasting benefits. The minister said stronger partnerships would be essential to expanding access, improving the quality of teaching and learning, and building an education system capable of meeting the needs of Nigeria’s growing population.