Government Agencies in Nigeria
- Government Agencies
- Policy and Plans
The Ministry of Education and Training is responsible for education policy in Nigeria and coordinates education planning, policy and finance through the National Council of Education. Key agencies concerned with education include the National Universities Commission, the National Teachers Institute, the Nigerian Mathematical Centre, the National Primary Education Commission, the National Examinations Council of Nigeria, the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, the National Curriculum Development Centre, the Teaching Service Commission, the Federal Inspectorate Services Department, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council. The West African Examination Council is a regional body which conducts exams at senior secondary level.
The Nigeria Vision 20:2020 expresses the aspiration for Nigeria to become one of the top 20 economies in the world by 2020. This is being pursued through a series of three/four-year plans which articulate strategies, policies, projects and programmes. The main policy thrusts include those of building a productive, competitive and functional human resource base, for economic growth and social advancement; and of developing a knowledge-based economy. The critical policy priorities identified by the Vision include investment in human capital development to enhance national competitiveness; and entrenchment of merit as a fundamental principle and core value.
Since the return to civilian rule, the government has encouraged private participation in education, and this has resulted in the establishment of many new private primary, secondary and tertiary institutions.
Nigeria is one of the 35 countries implementing the UNESCO Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (2006–15), a strategic framework through which national governments, civil society, and bilateral and multilateral agencies collaborate to accelerate literacy programmes and support achievement of a 50% improvement in national adult literacy rates by 2015. It is also one of 46 countries participating in the UNESCO Teacher Training Initiative for sub-Saharan Africa (2006–15), which aims to improve access, quality and equity of education.