Nigerian Governors to Host National Summit Aimed at Solving Education Sector Challenges

In order to address enduring issues in the nation’s educational system, such as low enrollment, insufficient funding, and diminishing learning outcomes, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, in partnership with important players in the field, has announced plans to hold a significant education summit in December.

The Nigeria Education Forum National Summit theme is “Pathways to Sustainable Education Financing: Developing a Synergy between the Town and Gown in Nigeria,” according to NGF Director General Abdulateef Shittu, who spoke at the Steering Committee’s inauguration Thursday in Abuja.

According to him, the program is intended to serve as a nationwide forum for bringing together important players from all facets of the educational system in order to create well-thought-out and workable answers to Nigeria’s problems with human capital.

Through the Nigerian Education Forum, the Nigerian Governors Forum offers a yearly forum for important stakeholders to discuss a variety of topics, share differing viewpoints, and find answers that can turn our educational system into a catalyst for long-term socioeconomic development, Shittu said.

Shittu emphasized the importance of the National Summit by citing alarming data, such as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s recent disclosure that over 1.5 million of the 1.96 million applicants who took the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination received scores below 200 out of 400.

Systemic issues like inadequately funded infrastructure, a shortage of teachers with the necessary training, outmoded curriculum delivery, and kids’ limited exposure to computer-based assessment have been blamed by observers for this poor performance.

To reverse Nigeria’s human capital imbalance, Shittu emphasized the significance of the meeting.

76% of Nigerians under the age of 25 are under the age of 14, with 43% of them under that age and 33% between the ages of 15 and 25. Education is the most important tool we can give this group to help them prosper.

He also bemoaned Nigeria’s Human Capital Index score of 0.36, which is far below the 0.48 norm for lower-middle-income nations and below the 0.40 average for sub-Saharan Africa.

“Our development prospects are severely limited by the significant human capital deficit we are facing,” Shittu stated. “Our out-of-school rate for primary school-age children is 26%, the highest among comparable countries, despite education being a fundamental right.”

He pointed out that just 12% of students are enrolled in higher education, which is not enough to increase access to research, innovation, and creativity.

According to the NGF, the National Summit will strengthen ties between the public and business sectors, academia, and civil society to address these issues.

The objective is to increase policy alignment, mobilize investment, and create a workforce with the necessary skills to implement contemporary technology and boost national production.

“With a focus on utilizing public-private partnerships, sustainable financing, and international collaborations, the National Summit will foster reflections on creative solutions to address both national and sub-national challenges in education,” Shittu stated.

Paddy Iyamu, the chairman and Edo State Commissioner for Education, spoke on behalf of the recently established Steering Committee and urged everyone to be committed to transformation.

“To create policy programs that successfully address the issues facing our education sector, we must mobilize all available resources,” Iyamu stated. “We do not doubt that the National Summit will be a huge success and have a long-lasting effect on the country.”