The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has called on education correspondents to leverage the Federal Ministry of Education’s digital data platform to hold state governments and local authorities accountable for education outcomes across Nigeria.
Alausa made the appeal on Wednesday while speaking at the 2026 Annual Education Summit of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN) in Abuja.
The minister said the recently launched Digitalised Nigeria Education Management Information System (DNEMIS) provides verified education data that would enable journalists to produce evidence-based reports and promote transparency in the sector.
According to him, the platform contains detailed information on teacher-to-classroom ratios, pupil enrolment, school infrastructure and other key education indicators, with data available down to the individual school level.
He urged journalists to use the platform to scrutinise education performance at the state and local government levels.
“We need you journalists to use those data to challenge governors and local government authorities. You can now see the number of teachers, classrooms and facilities available in schools.
“You can drill down to the school level. This is using data for public good, and you are the mouthpiece of the nation,” Alausa said.
The minister encouraged education correspondents to go beyond reporting official statements by using the available data to identify gaps in the education system and draw attention to areas requiring government intervention.
He noted that the ministry’s reforms are driven by evidence, citing preliminary findings from the 2024/2025 Annual School Census, which revealed a significant gap in the transition from primary to junior secondary education.
According to Alausa, Nigeria has nearly 25 million pupils in primary schools but only about five million in junior secondary schools. He added that while the country has about 90,000 primary schools, it has only around 16,000 junior secondary schools.
“We don’t make reforms based on assumptions. We make them based on data.
“We have almost 25 million children in primary school but just over five million in junior secondary school. Where are those children?” he asked.
He said the findings informed the Federal Government’s decision to review the policy separating junior and senior secondary schools, noting that the arrangement had resulted in overcrowded junior secondary schools while some senior secondary schools remained underutilised.
Alausa stressed that the ministry would continue to rely on data-driven policies to improve access to quality education across the country.
He also urged public information officers in education agencies to strengthen collaboration with the ministry’s media team to ensure accurate and coordinated communication of education reforms.
Reaffirming the ministry’s open-door policy, the minister encouraged journalists to verify information before publication and support ongoing reforms through factual and credible reporting.
