The Federal Ministry of Education (FME) has intensified efforts to reform Nigeria’s education sector through a new national data platform designed to track school enrolment, infrastructure deficits, teacher distribution, and admission pressures across the country.
The initiative came into focus on Saturday during the National Stakeholders Meeting on the National Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI), led by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, where education stakeholders reviewed real-time education data from all states of the federation.
Former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, who attended the meeting, said the emerging data infrastructure is one of the most consequential national projects currently underway in the country.
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According to Chidoka, the platform, known as the Nigeria Education Management Information System, provides detailed information ranging from school enrolment figures to the condition of school facilities and student-teacher ratios nationwide.
He said the system revealed significant gaps within Nigeria’s education pipeline, particularly the sharp decline between primary school enrolment and junior secondary school admission.
In a post shared through the ministry’s official X account on Sunday, Chidoka stated, “The drop is so wide that I found myself asking the obvious question: what happened to those children?”
He added that the data also exposed the growing pressure around tertiary institution admissions, especially the large number of repeat candidates sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
According to him, the figures highlighted how many qualified candidates repeatedly compete for limited admission spaces yearly, thereby creating what he called a major admission bottleneck.
Chidoka said the evidence presented at the meeting helped him better understand ongoing policy efforts aimed at easing access to higher education.
He further noted that the education data platform was developed by Ernst & Young, the same firm that reportedly designed a similar system in India.
The former minister argued that credible and accessible data could improve education governance by helping policymakers make decisions based on measurable evidence rather than assumptions.
He also disclosed that the Nigeria Research and Education Network (NgREN) had committed to expanding digital connectivity and related services to tertiary institutions this year, with plans to extend similar infrastructure to secondary schools from 2027.
Nigeria currently faces one of the world’s highest out-of-school children populations, estimated at about 15 million.
Chidoka warned that delayed education reforms often leave affected children permanently behind. He also noted that while roads, airports, and buildings can still be constructed later, missed years of schooling are difficult to recover.
He said, “What is happening in education may not yet dominate the headlines, but something important is taking shape quietly beneath the surface.
“Evidence is beginning to replace assertion. Data is starting to shape decisions.”
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