Kaduna: The maiden edition of the National Education Quality Assurance Policy Committee meeting is currently underway at the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna. The event, organized by the Federal Education Quality Assurance Service Department of the Federal Ministry of Education, is scheduled to take place from September 2 to 4. The theme of the meeting is ‘Improving Education Quality Assurance Policies, Processes, and Practices in Nigeria.’
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the Minister of Education, Mr. Tunji Alausa, inaugurated the meeting on Wednesday in Kaduna, describing it as timely and paramount. Represented by Abel Enitan and Ayodele Samson, Permanent Secretary in the ministry and Director/Coordinating Evaluator, Federal Education Quality Assurance, Kaduna State Office, respectively, Alausa emphasized the need to focus on the quality of education, moving beyond merely ensuring access. The minister highlighted that the committee was conceived as a strategic intervention to reposition Education Quality Assurance as the cornerstone of Nigeria’s national educational agenda.
During his speech, the minister stated that the objective is to review, refine, and revitalise the policies, processes, and practices governing the quality assurance at the basic and secondary education levels. He emphasized future efforts should concentrate on harmonising regulations and standards across the education sector. Alausa stressed the importance of strengthening monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and planning to leverage technology for real-time data collection and analysis, which would ensure inclusiveness and accessibility of quality assurance in basic and secondary education, especially in underserved areas.
Adegboye Adekunle, Director of the Federal Education Quality Assurance Service Department, noted that the establishment of the committee marked the culmination of extensive peer reviews, stakeholder engagement, and robust deliberations. He stated that the exercise aimed to address foundational pillars of Nigeria’s educational system and identified disparities in learning outcomes as challenges in the sector. Adekunle emphasized the need for curriculum modernization, enhanced teacher quality and welfare, and infrastructure improvements. He highlighted the urgency to align education with 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and digital literacy.
The meeting aims to provide strategic direction, oversight, and technical leadership in formulating, implementing, and monitoring a comprehensive quality assurance framework for all educational levels in Nigeria. Prof. Sadiya Sani-Daura, Director/Chief Executive Officer of NTI, expressed optimism that the deliberations would yield valuable insights and strategies to strengthen the country’s quality assurance framework. The event includes paper presentations by resource persons and technical sessions, with attendance from representatives of FCDO/PLANE, Quality Assurance Directors from various states, and other stakeholders.