By Uzair Adam
Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to improving foundational learning as part of ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening literacy and numeracy among schoolchildren.
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Professor Salisu Shehu, said this at the ongoing South-South Learning Symposium taking place from May 4 to 8 in New Delhi.
Speaking at the event, Shehu said Nigeria had, in the last three years, embarked on critical education reforms beginning from the foundational level to improve learning outcomes across the country.
He explained that the reforms are being implemented under the National Education Sector Reform Initiative (NESRI), a broad-based programme anchored on key pillars such as technical and vocational education expansion, STEMM development, reintegration of out-of-school children and Almajiri, girl-child education, data and digitisation, and quality assurance.
According to him, reforms in foundational learning are guided by two major national policy frameworks — the National Policy on Skills Development and the National Reading Framework — both aimed at strengthening early literacy and numeracy skills.
He noted that the initiatives were introduced to address persistent learning gaps in the country.
Professor Shehu said the policies are designed to “accelerate foundational skills of learners and reverse the situation in which about 70 per cent of children in Nigeria cannot read with meaning or solve simple mathematics problems.”
He added that achieving the targets of the policy frameworks requires a well-articulated curriculum reform programme, stressing that Nigeria has undertaken a holistic review of its curriculum to align with national development goals.
He said one of the key features of the reform is the introduction of foundational skills from the pre-primary level, with structured and sequenced learning content to ensure that learners acquire basic competencies before completing primary three.
Professor Shehu further explained that the reforms promote practical learning approaches, including learning by doing from the early stages, as well as aligning numeracy content with everyday experiences of learners.
On implementation, he said the use of structured pedagogy is being adopted to support learners’ development, while assessment systems are being reformed to cover both knowledge and practical application.
He, however, acknowledged challenges in implementing the reforms, particularly the shortage of adequately trained teachers and limited access to quality instructional materials aligned with the curriculum.
“To address these challenges, we are initiating a project with the British Council focused on providing quality instructional materials, building the capacity of teachers and ensuring a smooth transition from mother tongue to English as the medium of instruction at grade one,” he said.
He further emphasised the need for sustained collaboration with development partners to ensure long-term success of the reforms.
The symposium has brought together education stakeholders from across developing countries to share knowledge and strategies for improving learning outcomes.
