Nigeria Launches 2010 Education Data Survey

Nigeria Launches 2010 Education Data Survey
Godwin Uka, Abuja

Nigeria’s Vice-president, says accurate data remains one of the strong elements that help in the equitable distribution of resources at any level of governance in the world.

Namadi Sambo stated this at the launching of Digest of Education Statistics between 2006 and 2010 and the launch of 2010 Nigeria Education Data Survey.

He noted that Nigeria as a country was now ready through the present administration of President Goodluck Jonathan to strategically improve on the education system for the growth of the country.

There were also presentations on Statistics from the National Population Commission which gives a general perspective of the state of the nation’s data on demography and health.

Education Roadmap

Speaking at the event, Nigeria’s Education Minister, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai, says since her appointment, she established a ‘one-year Strategy for the Development of the Education Sector’
The strategy, the minister told the gathering, was based on the Federal Ministry of Education’s Roadmap focused on interventions that would have maximum impact on the education sector.
The One-Year Strategy had four focal points as originally contained in the roadmap:

• Access and equity
• Standards and quality assurance
• Funding, partnership and resource utilization
• Technical, vocational education and training.

Collaborative work

Due to lack of education data, the education minister had established two committees, one on ensuring that data from 2006 to 2010 were collated and published and another on ensuring that the 2010/2011 annual school census was carried out successfully.

The other committee, she said, was to work on enhancing the subsequent annual school census in Nigeria as it was the basis for collecting vital information on basic and post-basic education.

The second committee will also work to ensure the success of the annual school census for this year 2011. In addition, it has developed a 2-year Strategy that is meant to enhance the Nigeria Education Management Information Systems (NEMIS) of the Federal Ministry of Education.

The 2010 Nigeria Education Data Survey-a collaborative work of USAID and DFID and the National Population Commission.

Iheanacho