The National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) has flagged off its 2025 Quality Assurance Monitoring and Evaluation exercise for senior secondary schools in Nigeria.

Speaking at the flag-off on Monday at the Federal Government College (FGC), Malali, Kaduna, the commission’s executive secretary, Iyela Ajayi, said the initiative aimed to assess and improve the quality of education in secondary schools nationwide.

Mr Ajayi said President Bola Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to the Nigerian people recognised the critical role of education in achieving collective aspirations.

“We are committed to ensuring that every senior secondary school in the country provides a conducive learning environment that fosters academic excellence, critical thinking, and the development of well-rounded individuals,” he said.

He noted that the commission had since developed the National Minimum Standards for Senior Secondary Education in Nigeria, which served as a benchmark for schools nationwide.

Mr Ajayi recalled that the documents were approved at the 68th National Council of Education between October 7 and October 10, 2024, and launched by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, in February.

“Copies of the minimum standards were distributed to the state delegates at the launch for implementation in the various states.

“The implementation is expected to be done within nine months, after which the commission will start the process of enforcement of the minimum standards,” he said.

The secretary said the exercise was aimed at achieving desired learning outcomes through monitoring and evaluation, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and setting clear benchmarks for accountability and improvement.

“The programme promotes best practices, empowers educators with constructive feedback and support, and enhances their skills to elevate teaching quality and learners’ outcomes,” he said.

Earlier, the state commissioner for education, Muhammad Bello, expressed delight that Kaduna State was chosen as the sole state for the flag-off of the 2025 monitoring exercise.

Mr Bello, represented by director, Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority (KSSQAA), Usman Zaria, noted that monitoring and evaluation of schools remained a missing link.

Though he emphasised that the government had continued to invest billions of naira in the state’s education sector, he said there had been a missing aspect of monitoring and evaluation of the schools.

Mr Bello assured of the state government’s support for the NSSEC’s initiatives in the state.