By Shindong Bala
The UK-funded Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) has reached more than two million children and supported the training of over 25,000 teachers and facilitators across northern Nigeria since its launch in 2019.
The programme’s achievements were highlighted on Wednesday in Kaduna at its close-out event, where education stakeholders called on state governments to sustain the gains and ensure more children have access to quality education after the programme ends.
Implemented by DAI, UNICEF, Save the Children and consortium partners, PLANE supported education reforms, foundational literacy and numeracy, child protection and learning opportunities for vulnerable children, including those affected by emergencies.
Speaking at the event, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Pete Vowles, described PLANE as a partnership built on a shared commitment to ensuring that more children go to school, stay in school and, most importantly, learn.
Vowels said over the course of the programme, PLANE directly reached more than 2 million girls and boys and supported the training of over 25,000 teachers and facilitators, while helping strengthen policies, systems and institutions across partner states and at the federal level.
The British High Commissioner said the programme had demonstrated the value of collaboration among governments, teachers, communities and development partners.
“While we are celebrating the achievements of the programme today, the most important question is what happens next,” he said.
Vowles said the UK was encouraged that successful approaches introduced under PLANE were being adopted and expanded by Nigerian institutions to sustain improvements in learning beyond the programme’s lifespan.
“PLANE is closing. The UK’s education partnership with Nigeria is not,” Vowels added.
Head of Development Cooperation at the British High Commission in Nigeria, Cynthia Rowe, said: “Education is one of the most important investments any country can make in its future.
“The achievements of PLANE show what is possible when evidence, innovation and partnership come together around a shared goal. As the programme closes, we look forward to building on these successes through continued collaboration with government, schools, universities and communities across Nigeria.
“From foundational learning in primary schools to higher education and advanced skills development, the UK remains committed to supporting opportunities for Nigeria’s next generation.” Rowe said.
In his keynote address, Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, said state governments must take responsibility for sustaining the programme’s achievements.
“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, who was represented by the deputy governor, Hadiza Balarabe said Kaduna had increased basic school enrolment from 2.17 million in 2022 to more than 2.57 million in 2025.
The Acting Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, said partnerships, reliable data and innovation were crucial to improving access to education and learning outcomes.
She said education stakeholders must go beyond increasing school enrolment to focus on attendance, retention, completion and foundational literacy and numeracy, particularly among girls, children with disabilities, displaced learners and other vulnerable groups.
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Education, Professor Abubakar Sani Sambo, said the programme had contributed to efforts to improve access to education and strengthen teaching and learning.
He said more than 25,000 out-of-school children had returned to learning across the state’s 23 local government areas, while calling for continued commitment to keeping children in school.
“The seeds sown under PLANE are already bearing fruit,” Sambo said, urging stakeholders to build on the progress recorded.
Education commissioners from participating states, including Kano, Jigawa, Borno and Yobe, also commended the programme and stressed the need for governments to sustain its achievements.
The Borno State Commissioner for Education, Engineer Abba Lawan Wakilbe, said the programme’s legacy would depend on what governments and other stakeholders achieved after its closure.
“The legacy of PLANE will not be measured by what it has done, but by what we achieve from it afterwards,” he said.
The programme operated through interventions focused on foundational skills, education in emergencies and community-centred initiatives, working with government institutions and communities to improve learning opportunities for children.
These partnerships form part of the UK’s broader transnational education agenda, which connects Nigerian and UK institutions to strengthen learning, research and skills development.
Editing by BASIRAT MEMUDU
