Sokoto adopts 10-year education plan, unveils three-year roadmap

The Sokoto State Government has adopted a 10-year Education Strategic Plan covering 2026 to 2035, alongside a three-year operational roadmap aimed at improving access, quality, equity and inclusiveness in the state’s education sector.

The plans were endorsed on Friday, August 14, 2026, by the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Ahmed Ladan Ala, during a validation and dissemination workshop in Sokoto.

The package includes the Sokoto State Education Strategic Plan (SESP) 2026–2035, the State Education Sector Operational Plan (SESOP) 2026–2028 and Local Education Sector Operational Plans (LESOPs) for 2026–2028.

The local plans cover nine local government areas: Gada, Tureta, Gwadabawa, Tangaza, Goronyo, Isa, Sabon Birni, Kebbe and Yabo.

Developed by the state Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education in collaboration with the European Union, UNICEF and other development partners, the plans are designed to provide both long-term direction and practical measures for addressing challenges in education delivery.

Ala described the adoption as a major milestone, urging government agencies, education authorities, development partners and other stakeholders to ensure that the plans are implemented effectively.

He said the success of the strategy would ultimately be determined by improvements in teaching and learning, school enrolment and retention, access and overall education outcomes rather than by the production of policy documents.

The Officer in Charge of the UNICEF Sokoto Field Office, Isa Ibrahim, said the plans provided an opportunity to address barriers keeping children out of school or preventing them from completing their education.

He identified poverty, insecurity, displacement and inadequate learning opportunities as major factors affecting education outcomes in Sokoto and other parts of northern Nigeria.

Ibrahim urged the state government to translate the plans into practical interventions and ensure sustainable financing, accountability and targeted support for vulnerable children.

He called for annual budgets, government work plans and development partner programmes to reflect the priorities contained in the education plans.

He also advocated targeted interventions for children in hard-to-reach communities, particularly girls, children with disabilities, Almajiri and nomadic learners, as well as children affected by insecurity, poverty and displacement.

He reaffirmed UNICEF’s readiness to support the state in implementing the plans and improving education outcomes.

Also speaking, the Assistant Chief Training and Research Officer of the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration, Dr Opeyemi Oyekan, said the initiative formed part of a wider NIEPA-UNICEF partnership involving Lagos, Jigawa, Enugu, Sokoto and Adamawa states.

Oyekan said the partnership began in 2025 with reviews of existing education sector plans and capacity-building programmes for education planners and Education Management Information System officers.

She said the collaboration also supported the development of local education sector plans and annual education sector performance assessments.

According to her, the impact of the plans on pupils, schools and communities should be the primary measure of success.

She urged the Sokoto Government to use the operational plans as a basis for annual education budgeting, noting that they were aligned with existing government policies and programmes.

The Executive Chairman of the Sokoto State Universal Basic Education Board, Umar Nagwari Tambuwal, represented by Mamuda Galadima, commended development partners and stakeholders for their contributions to the education planning process.

Representatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Plan International and Life Helpers also delivered goodwill messages at the event.

The Sokoto State SBMC Secretary, Malami Usman Binji, expressed appreciation to the government, development partners and participants for their contributions to the development and validation of the plans.

He urged stakeholders to sustain their support for the implementation of the strategy.

Chairmen of Gada, Gwadabawa, Tureta and Tangaza local governments, alongside representatives of the state House of Assembly Committee on Education, traditional institutions, ANCOPSS, government agencies and development partners, attended the workshop.