Nigeria to Hold Nationwide Learning Tests Every Three Years to Address Education Gaps

Nigeria's federal government plans to institutionalize the National Learning Assessment (NLA) every three years, aiming to combat learning poverty and enhance educational quality nationwide. Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced this initiative in Abuja while monitoring the ongoing 2026 NLA. The assessment targets pupils and students in Primary Three, Primary Five, Junior Secondary School (JSS) Two, and Senior Secondary School (SSS) Two, evaluating their literacy, numeracy, and cognitive abilities. Alausa emphasized the assessment's importance in understanding the effectiveness of education delivery across different levels. "The importance of learning assessment is that we need to know the kind of education we are giving our pupils and students at the primary, junior secondary and senior secondary levels to determine whether they are actually learning," he stated. He added that the exercise, previously conducted in 2023 and 2019, will become a routine triennial event, with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) directed to make budgetary provisions starting in 2029. This move addresses Nigeria's significant learning poverty challenge, where millions of children struggle with age-appropriate reading skills by age 10. Previous reports indicated over 42 million Nigerian children were classified as learning poor. The government aims to generate updated data through these assessments to inform evidence-based policymaking and targeted interventions. "We need accurate data to benchmark our literacy and numeracy levels and develop targeted interventions that will improve learning outcomes across the country," Alausa explained. The Federal Government has also harmonized various assessment frameworks into a single national system to ensure consistency and allow for comparisons over time, aligning with President Bola Tinubu's agenda to transform the education sector.

“

The importance of learning assessment is that we need to know the kind of education we are giving our pupils and students at the primary, junior secondary and senior secondary levels to determine whether they are actually learning.