By Felix Khanoba
Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has directed coordinators and officials overseeing the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) to take greater responsibility for their assignments and intensify efforts toward achieving the Federal Government’s education reform objectives.
The minister gave the directive on Friday during the Ministerial Deliverables Meeting on NESRI in Abuja, where education officials reviewed progress made over the past six months since the initiative’s retreat in February.
The meeting also assessed outstanding assignments and mapped out strategies to accelerate implementation.
According to a statement issued by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Ikharo Attah, participants examined completed projects to confirm they had fully met their objectives rather than merely reaching preliminary milestones.
The meeting also evaluated pending assignments, with programme coordinators and responsible officials identifying obstacles slowing implementation and proposing practical solutions to address them.
As part of efforts to strengthen accountability, officials agreed to establish realistic deadlines for unfinished tasks while ensuring those responsible remained answerable for delivering agreed outcomes.
Participants further considered new priorities and additional deliverables requiring attention as the ministry advances reforms under the NESRI framework.
Addressing the gathering, Alausa said the exercise was intended to provide a realistic assessment of the ministry’s performance and identify the work still required to achieve its objectives.
“Today is not about celebrating what we have done and going home. It is about looking at what we have done, what remains to be done and how we can finish what we have started,” he said.
The minister praised ministry officials for their contributions toward advancing the education sector renewal agenda, noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had continued to demonstrate strong commitment to improving education through sustained support for ongoing reforms.
He said the responsibility assigned to him and the Minister of State for Education was to ensure that every Nigerian child has access to quality education capable of equipping learners with the knowledge, skills and opportunities needed to succeed.
While acknowledging the progress already recorded, Alausa warned against complacency, stressing that every achievement should serve as a foundation for further progress.
He explained that the NESRI reform programme covers key areas such as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), girl-child education, tackling the out-of-school children challenge, quality assurance, data management and digitalisation, among other strategic priorities.
The minister maintained that the ministry’s success would ultimately be judged by visible improvements in schools and the education system rather than the number of meetings held or programmes launched.
He urged programme coordinators, directors and other officials to deepen collaboration, remain fully accountable for their respective responsibilities and focus on achieving measurable results.
Alausa also reassured Nigerians of the ministry’s commitment to sustaining ongoing reforms, addressing emerging challenges and implementing the President’s education agenda to build an education system that enables every Nigerian child to learn, acquire relevant skills and realise their full potential.
