FG partners UNESCO on Nigeria’s education data

THE Federal Government is set to collaborate with the Institute of Statistics of the United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) with a view to addressing the challenges of data collection and analysis in the education sector in Nigeria.

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, disclosed this when he received the regional adviser of the Dakar-based UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Mr Yacouba Djibo Abdou.

He acknowledged the significance of data collection and analysis in educational planning and development, saying lack of accurate data has hampered effective development of the sector.

Adamu listed some of the challenges facing data collection to include funding, capacity building, infrastructural development and inadequate collaboration at various levels.

The minister called for the continued support of UNESCO and its member states in ensuring improvement of the quality and analysis of data globally.

He described the visit of Mr. Djibo as timely, coming at a time Nigeria has joined other countries of the world in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Malam Adamu used the occasion to seek the support of UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) in the area of capacity building on data management, development of indicators for Sustainable Development Goals reflecting Nigerian’s policy needs and priorities.

Speaking earlier, the regional adviser to the institute, Mr. Yacouba Djibo, said his organisation provides services such as collecting and disseminating statistics in education, science and technology, as well as culture and communication.

According to him, his institute is also involved in setting and applying standards to compare data internationally; helping member states to improve the quality and analysis of their data; monitoring progress towards international development goals, especially concerning gender; designing new indicators to better reflect the policy needs of developing countries, and promoting wider use of data for policy making.

He pointed out that the institute, in its bid to improve the quality and analysis of data, has supported Nigeria with capacity building programmes for Nigeria Education Management Information System (NEMIS) staff, the National Bureau of Statistics as well as other agencies responsible for collating data in education, science and technology, culture, and communication.

Djibo said the institute has been working closely with relevant MDAs in Nigeria over the years to ensure the production of accurate and reliable data.