The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba, alongside the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa and the Director-General/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, during the strategic meeting on strengthening learner identification and advancing digital transformation in Nigeria’s education sector. Photo: X | Aisha Garba
Says the initiative would improve the quality and reliability of education data.
The Universal Basic Education Commission has reaffirmed its commitment to the Federal Government’s drive to establish a unified learner identity system, describing the initiative as a critical step towards improving education planning, transparency and service delivery across Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba, disclosed this in a statement she issued on Monday, after a meeting involving the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa, and the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, aimed at deepening digital transformation in the education sector.
According to her, the proposed initiative seeks to integrate the National Learners’ Identification Number with the National Identification Number and the National Education Management Information System to create a single, reliable identity framework for learners nationwide.
Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, Garba said the engagement focused on leveraging digital identity to improve education management and planning.
She said, “I had the privilege of joining the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, and the Director-General/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, for a strategic meeting on strengthening learner identification and advancing digital transformation in Nigeria’s education sector.
“The discussions centred on aligning the National Learners’ Identification Number with the National Identification Number (NIN) and the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) to establish a unified and reliable learner identity system.”
Garba further stated that the initiative would improve the quality and reliability of education data, enabling government and stakeholders to make more informed decisions on basic education.
She added, “This initiative will enhance data integrity, strengthen planning, improve transparency, and support evidence-based decision-making across the education sector.
“At UBEC, we recognise that quality data is essential to effective planning and the delivery of inclusive, equitable, and quality basic education.”
The UBEC boss also reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to collaborating with relevant agencies to ensure the successful implementation of the initiative.
She said, “We remain committed to working with the Federal Ministry of Education, NIMC, and other critical stakeholders to build a digitally enabled education system where every learner is counted, and every child has the opportunity to succeed. Together, we are laying the foundation for a smarter, more efficient, and future-ready education system for Nigeria.”
The proposed integration is expected to strengthen learner tracking, improve resource allocation and support the Federal Government’s broader efforts to deploy technology in expanding access to quality basic education across the country.
Education stakeholders have consistently advocated improved education data management, noting that inaccurate or fragmented records undermine planning, funding allocation, enrolment tracking and policy implementation.
The Federal Government has in recent years intensified efforts to digitise education administration through NEMIS and strengthen identity management across sectors using the NIN platform
