Over 2 Million Children and 25,000 Teachers Benefit as UK-Funded Program Ends

More than two million children in Northern Nigeria have gained from the learning programs started by the UK-funded Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) since it began in 2019.

The program has also helped train over 25,000 teachers and facilitators in northern Nigeria during this time.

The program's achievements were shared on Wednesday at a closing event in Kaduna. Education leaders urged state governments to keep up the progress and ensure more children get quality education after the program ends.

DAI, UNICEF, Save the Children, and other partners implemented PLANE. It supported education reforms, basic literacy and numeracy, child protection, and learning chances for vulnerable kids, including those affected by emergencies.

At the event, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Pete Vowles, said the program showed how important it is for governments, teachers, communities, and development partners to work together.

"While we are celebrating the achievements of the program today, the most important question is what happens next," he said.

Mr Vowles added that the UK was happy to see Nigerian institutions adopting and expanding the methods from PLANE to keep improving learning after it ends.

"PLANE is closing. The UK’s education partnership with Nigeria is not," he noted.

In his speech, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani said state governments must take charge of maintaining the program’s successes.

"PLANE has done its part. It is now up to us, the state governments, to keep the progress going and to make sure that every child in our respective states has the opportunity to go to school and learn," he said.

The governor, represented by his deputy, said Kaduna has raised basic school enrolment from 2.17 million in 2022 to over 2.57 million in 2025.

He mentioned that a recent mapping across the state’s 23 local government areas showed the number of out-of-school children at 187,719, down from an estimated 535,000 when he took office.

Mr Sani said education got 25 percent of the state’s N985.9 billion 2026 budget. He called investment in education vital for the state’s growth, security, and economic success.

He also pushed for better cooperation among states, saying shared challenges could be tackled faster by sharing successful strategies.

Folake Olatunji-David, the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, said partnerships, accurate data, and innovation are key to improving access to education and learning results.

She stressed that education leaders must go beyond just increasing school enrolment. They should focus on attendance, retention, completion, and basic literacy and numeracy, especially for girls, children with disabilities, displaced learners, and other vulnerable groups.

Mrs Olatunji-David urged governments to include effective actions in education policies, processes, and budgets to ensure the gains made through development programs last.

She also highlighted the need for reliable education data to spot learning gaps, guide resource use, and evaluate the effects of programs.

The Kaduna State Commissioner for Education, Abubakar Sani Sambo, said the program has helped improve access to education and strengthen teaching and learning.

He mentioned that over 25,000 out-of-school children have returned to learning in the state’s 23 local government areas. He called for ongoing commitment to keep children in school.

"The seeds sown under PLANE are already bearing fruit," Mr Sambo said, encouraging stakeholders to build on the progress made.

Education commissioners from states like Kano, Jigawa, Borno, and Yobe praised the program and emphasized the need for governments to continue its achievements.

The Borno State Commissioner for Education, Abba Lawan Wakilbe, said the program's legacy will depend on what governments and other stakeholders do after it ends.

"The legacy of PLANE will not be measured by what it has done, but by what we achieve from it afterwards," he said.