To truly accelerate action for gender equality, investing in girl-child education is unarguably critical. However, beyond enrolment, which is often the focus of stakeholders, the challenges affecting girls in Nigeria, particularly in the northern context, are multiple and overlapping, hence the need for a gender responsive education system.

On the heels of the International Day of Education 2025, Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE), an education programme funded by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), organised a media parley in Abuja on January 29, to introduce the programme to key stakeholders in the media and seek their invaluable support in advancing education for all in Nigeria.

Every year, on October 11th, the world comes together to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child (IDG), a day dedicated to highlighting the unique challenges girls face in accessing education, empowerment opportunities, and social inclusion. This day serves as a reminder to duty bearers and stakeholders of their crucial roles in supporting girls, enabling them to realise their full potential and contribute meaningfully to society. The theme for the 2024 IDG, “Girls’ Vision for the Future,” brings into focus the importance of empowering girls, not just for their well-being, but as a vital foundation for the peace and development of society.

The Kano State Government, in collaboration with the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) PLANE and Arewa Consultative Forum, hosted the Education Recovery Conference on July 10th and 11th, 2024. This event brought together thought leaders, political actors, diplomats, educators, private sector players, advocates and policymakers to address significant challenges in Kano’s education sector.

The Kano State Government, with the support of the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) in Nigeria and Arewa Consultative Forum, is set to convene an education recovery conference on 10th and 11th of July, 2024. The conference featuring thought leaders, political actors, diplomats, educators, private sector players, advocates and policymakers, will focus on addressing significant education sector challenges in Kano State.

On Thursday 23 May 2024, DAI held a live panel discussion on Strengthening Nigerian Education Systems to Deliver at Scale. This was a hybrid event, which attracted a very successful external attendance and participation in the Q&A. The session, moderated by Programme Director, Zehra Zaidi, featured the National Team Lead, Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) programme, Dr Nguyan Feese; the Commissioner for Education in Kaduna State, Professor Muhammad Sani Bello; Senior Education Adviser, British High Commission in Nigeria, Ian Attfield; and the Country Director, DAI Nigeria, Dr Joe Abah.

The northern part of Nigeria houses most of the country’s out-of-school children. However, many parents in the region embrace Islamiyya, Quranic and Tsangaya Education (IQTE), with children often being sent far from home to acquire knowledge of the Quran. Considering the huge number of IQTE schools and their students, the integration of these schools into the formal system may help Nigeria draw closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals targets, especially Goal 4- Education for All.

Promoting the recruitment of female teachers is not only an essential step towards achieving gender equality, but also contributes to creating a more diverse, inclusive, and enriched educational environment and safer schools for women to teach and for girls to learn. Encouraging the recruitment of female teachers involves recognising the unique contributions
they bring to the profession and addressing barriers that may impede their entry into the field. Representation matters, and having female teachers provides important role models for both male and female students.

The connection between language and education is very visible and paramount. Language has a profound impact on education. Many children start school with knowledge of concepts in their mother tongue but cannot relate to the same concepts in school because they are unfamiliar with the language of the classroom. In order to fully realise the benefits of education in the mother tongue, it is essential for policymakers and educators to recognise the importance of language as a tool for learning and development.

Malam Musa teaches at a Community Learning Hub, an initiative under the FCDO-funded Partnership for Learning for All (PLANE) programme. These Community Learning Hubs provide a safe space for both in-school and out-of-school children to learn basic literacy and numeracy skills.

The Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) project makes the community learning festivals possible. At the close of the school year in July 2023, PLANE staff worked with local leaders and community members to host learning festivals, giving students the chance to show their communities what they had learned.

A delegation from the British High Commission, PLANE and DAI was in Jigawa State on Wednesday, 8 November, to show support to the state government as it begins the roll-out of transformative education reforms under the new administration’s 12-point agenda. The team met with the Governor, Malam Umar Namadi and his cabinet members, and attended an Education Reform Dialogue convened by the Ministry of Basic Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology in Jigawa State.