The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has challenged education correspondents across Nigeria to utilize credible education data to hold governments and relevant stakeholders accountable.
The minister said this would help to improve learning outcomes and expand access to quality education.
Speaking at the 2026 Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN) Annual Education Summit in Abuja, the minister urged journalists to take advantage of the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure Management System (NEDIMS) to track key education indicators and identify gaps in service delivery.
Alausa said access to reliable data would enable the media to monitor issues such as teacher-to-student ratios, enrollment figures, classroom shortages, and the condition of school infrastructure nationwide.
He noted that data-driven journalism would promote transparency and support evidence-based policy decisions in the education sector.
The minister also highlighted progress recorded under the administration of President Bola Tinubu, stating that ongoing reforms are focused on strengthening access, quality, equity, skills development, technology integration, and improved governance across the nation’s education system.
Other stakeholders at the summit, including the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmed, and the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Aisha Garba, emphasized the need for sustained collaboration among government agencies, development partners, and the media to consolidate ongoing reforms and ensure policy continuity.
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the Kaduna State Governor on the School Feeding Programme, Fauziya Buhari-Ado, who received an award for excellence and commitment to education advancement at the summit, lauded ECAN for the recognition and commended Governor Uba Sani for the opportunity to contribute to keeping children in school through the state’s feeding initiative.
Buhari-Ado also highlighted Uba Sani’s achievements in the education sector, commending him for positively changing the face of Kaduna State with all his developmental programmes.
