The United Kingdom has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting education development in Nigeria following the successful completion of a seven-year programme that reached more than two million children and trained over 25,000 teachers and facilitators.
The Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE), funded by the UK Government and implemented by DAI, UNICEF, Save the Children and other consortium partners, focused on improving learning outcomes and strengthening education systems across the country.
Speaking at the programme’s close-out event in Kaduna, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Pete Vowles, highlighted the importance of collaboration between governments, teachers, communities and development partners in addressing educational challenges.
He said the priority was to ensure that successful approaches developed under the programme continued beyond its conclusion, noting that Nigerian institutions were already adopting and expanding some of the reforms introduced through the initiative.
Vowles emphasised that although PLANE had come to an end, the UK’s broader education partnership with Nigeria would continue.
The programme supported improvements in foundational literacy and numeracy, strengthened child safeguarding systems and generated evidence on effective teaching approaches that could improve learning outcomes when implemented at scale.
The close-out event brought together Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, representing Governor Uba Sani, alongside officials from the Federal Ministry of Education, teachers, education leaders, development partners and community representatives.
Balarabe commended the UK Government, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the British High Commission and the programme’s implementation team for their contributions to education development in Kaduna State.
She noted that PLANE had worked with government officials and communities, including those in remote areas, helping to strengthen the capacity of teachers and public sector officials.
Meanwhile, the UK has reiterated its commitment to human capital development through continued cooperation between Nigerian and British educational institutions.
As part of the engagement, UK representatives visited the College of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Kaduna to highlight partnerships between Nigerian institutions and UK universities.
The collaborations are expected to equip students with advanced technical and professional skills while strengthening opportunities for learning, research and skills development.
Cynthia Rowe, Head of Development Cooperation at the British High Commission in Nigeria, said the achievements recorded under PLANE demonstrated how evidence, innovation and partnerships could be combined to address educational challenges.
She reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to building on the programme’s achievements through continued collaboration with governments, schools, universities and communities.
The development highlights the importance of sustained international partnerships in strengthening education systems, improving foundational learning and expanding opportunities for children and young people across Nigeria.
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