Benue SUBEB Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Grace Adagba, has reaffirmed Benue State’s commitment to strengthening data systems to improve planning and accountability.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 69th meeting of the National Council on Education (NCE) at the International Events Center (The Dome) in Akure, Ondo State, he noted that accurate and reliable data remains essential to achieving better learning outcomes, adding that his recent engagement with the Honorable Commissioner for Education and Knowledge Management, Dr. Margaret Adamu, reaffirmed the state’s resolve to improve data collection in public and private schools.
The NCE is Nigeria’s highest policy-making body in the education sector and brings together education commissioners, permanent secretaries, institutional heads, policymakers and technocrats from across the country to deliberate on strategies to strengthen the country’s education system.
This year’s meeting, with the theme “Quality educational data and teaching professionalism: tools for better national development”, which began on Monday, November 3, will end on Friday.
Adagba emphasized that quality education begins with quality information and assured that Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration is committed to ensuring that every decision in the basic education sector is informed, transparent and aligned with national standards.
According to a statement by the Board’s Information Officer, Emmanuella Akese, Benue State will be represented at the meeting by the Honorable Commissioner for Education and Knowledge Management, Dr. Margaret Adamu; the Executive President of SUBEB, Dr. Grace Adagba; the Permanent Secretary for Secondary Education, Ms Helen Nambativ; the Permanent Secretary of Basic Education, Mrs. Bibiana Tyoishi; and the Directors of Planning, Research and Statistics of both the Ministry of Education and SUBEB, Messrs. Terkimbi Aniho and Akura Terkimbi.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Honorable Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, described the topic as timely and strategic, emphasizing that a modern education system must be driven by accurate data and high professional standards.
He explained that Nigeria must align its educational processes with the global knowledge economy and the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Alausa outlined several reforms currently being implemented by the ministry, including the work of the National Education Repository and Data Bank (NERDB), which launched the Digital Central Bank for the education sector to verify the country’s academic results and credentials.
He also highlighted the deployment of the Nigerian Digital Education Information System (DNEMIS), which enumerates and geographically maps all schools in the country to ensure that every learner, from basic to tertiary level, is digitally captured, tracked and authenticated.
The minister further highlighted the progress of the Revised Basic Education Curriculum (RBEC), saying that the simplification of subjects is expected to make learning more focused and productive.
He added that the government’s efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children are yielding results, with plans underway to enroll children between the ages of 6 and 9 in low-cost private schools, while others would be placed in schools and training centers in collaboration with the Almajiri Commission.
Ondo State Governor, Dr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, commended President Tinubu for his ongoing reforms in the education sector, particularly the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which he said had helped reduce disparities in access to quality education across the country.
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