The Federal Government has announced plans to make the National Learning Assessment a regular exercise to be conducted every three years as part of efforts to address learning poverty and enhance education standards nationwide.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, made this known on Friday in Abuja after monitoring the ongoing 2026 National Learning Assessment in selected public and private schools within the FCT.
During the exercise, the minister visited Government Secondary School, Kuje, Junior Secondary School, Kuje Central, and Topaz Model School to evaluate the process.
Alausa explained that the assessment targets pupils and students in Primary Three, Primary Five, JSS Two and Senior Secondary School Two, focusing on literacy, numeracy and cognitive abilities.
He noted that the exercise would become a triennial programme, adding that the Universal Basic Education Commission had been instructed to provide budgetary support for it beginning in 2029.
“The importance of learning assessment is that we need to know the kind of education we are giving our pupils and students at the primary, junior secondary and senior secondary levels to determine whether they are actually learning.
“It is a standard tool that helps us evaluate the quality of education being delivered 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 become a routine exercise every three years,” he said.
The minister stated that the initiative had become increasingly important due to Nigeria’s learning poverty crisis, noting that existing figures suggest millions of children are unable to read age-appropriate materials by the age of 10.
He added that earlier reports estimated more than 42 million Nigerian children fell into the category of learning poverty, although the statistics were based on previous data.
Alausa expressed confidence that current reforms in the education sector would improve learning outcomes, saying the assessment would provide updated information to support evidence-based decision-making.
“We need accurate data to benchmark our literacy and numeracy levels and develop targeted interventions that will improve learning outcomes across the country,” he said.
He also revealed that the Federal Government had merged various learning assessment frameworks into a unified national system to ensure consistency and facilitate comparisons over time.
According to him, the programme forms part of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative and aligns with the agenda of Bola Tinubu to reposition education as a driver of national development.
On the role of private schools, the minister praised their contribution to expanding access to education, noting that they have helped many children remain in school.
He, however, stressed the importance of proper oversight to guarantee adherence to approved standards.
“Private schools have helped us keep many children in school. We need to encourage them, but we must also regulate them effectively and ensure they maintain the required standards,” he said.
Alausa further commended the learning environment in both public and private schools visited, describing them as clean, conducive and suitable for effective teaching and learning.
Also speaking, the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Education Secretariat, Danlami Hayyo, disclosed that more than 120 public schools had been renovated under the administration of Nyesom Wike.
Hayyo said the upgrades covered classrooms, hostels and sanitation facilities, adding that the administration remained committed to supporting efforts to improve educational quality.
He pledged the continued cooperation of the FCT Administration in implementing the outcomes of the National Learning Assessment to enhance learning achievements among pupils and students.