In a major move to tackle the deepening learning crisis in Northern Nigeria, the Kaduna Basic Education Accountability Mechanism (KADBEAM) and the Kaduna Local Government Accountability Mechanism (KADLGAM), in partnership with Bëtá Nigeria, hosted a high-level workshop on Thursday, January 29, 2026.
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The event, titled the “Education Stakeholders’ Voices Forum,” was organized to commemorate the International Day of Education 2026.
This year’s theme, “Education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility—the power of youth in Co-creating education,” served as a call to action for collective responsibility in fixing the state’s school system.
The forum saw an unprecedented gathering of the state’s most influential education bodies and international partners. The stakeholders in attendance included:
MoE: Ministry of Education
*SUBEB: State Universal Basic Education Board
KSSQAA: Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority
OPDs: Other Public Departments
KSSSEB: Kaduna State Senior Secondary Education Board
ROOSC: Reaching Out-of-School Children (Project)
PLANE: Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (UK-FCDO funded program)
While delivering their goodwill messages, stakeholders didn’t shy away from the “sobering reality” of education in Kaduna.
The forum identified critical bottlenecks, including high learning poverty, a staggering number of out-of-school children, and a severe shortage of subject-specialist teachers.
Other issues raised included unequal teacher distribution, inadequate infrastructure, and wide gender and regional disparities.
To move from talk to action, the forum recommended:
- Targeted Literacy Programs: To fix the poor reading and numeracy outcomes.
- Specialized Teacher Training: To address the shortage of qualified educators.
- Community Awareness: To bridge the home-support gap for learners.
- Strategic Partnerships: Strengthening ties with NGOs and the private sector to upgrade school facilities amongst others.
“The Acting Secretary for KADBEAM, Mr. Simeon Olatunde, emphasized that the workshop was designed to move beyond traditional talk-shops. He noted that the goal is to create a permanent dialogue where citizens can hold the government accountable for every naira spent on children’s future and to also implement policies.”
“Adding weight to the discussion, a representative from Bëtá Nigeria, Mr Friday Udeh explained that their campaign is a national movement—dedicated to ensuring every Nigerian child not only enters a classroom but stays there and actually learns.
They stressed that ‘Bëtá’ (meaning Better) Nigeria is only possible when politicians, parents, and teachers work as one.
“While the challenges—from teacher shortages to infrastructure gaps—are immense, the consensus in Kaduna is one of hope.
By putting youth at the center of the 2026 education roadmap, the state is signaling that it is finally ready to turn the tide on learning poverty. PROCYON
