UK- backed PLANE applauds FG’s new policy on non-state schools

The British High Commission in Nigeria has commended the Federal Government for launching the National Policy on Non-State Schools, describing it as a progressive step toward expanding access to quality education for underserved communities. Speaking on behalf of the UK-funded Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE), Senior Education Adviser Ian Attfield said the […]

The British High Commission in Nigeria has commended the Federal Government for launching the National Policy on Non-State Schools, describing it as a progressive step toward expanding access to quality education for underserved communities.

Speaking on behalf of the UK-funded Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE), Senior Education Adviser Ian Attfield said the policy reflects decades of collaboration between Nigeria and the United Kingdom in strengthening non-state education.

“There’s a lot of history behind working in non-state education, both by the government of Nigeria and the UK,” Attfield said at the launch event held Wednesday in Abuja. 

He referenced the early 2000s research by UK academic Prof. James Tooley, whose book The Beautiful Tree documented the rise of informal private schools in Lagos and other urban centres.

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“When demand for education is not met by the government, alternative provision organically falls,” Attfield noted, adding that Nigeria’s rapid urban growth has outpaced public education infrastructure.

He stressed the importance of regulating low-cost private schools without stifling their ability to serve poorer communities.

“We need to build the capacity of private school teachers, offer cheaper finance to those schools, and ensure that regulation and taxation are fair and proportionate,” he said.

The new policy, developed under President Bola Tinubu’s National Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), sets standards for infrastructure, curriculum delivery, and teacher qualifications in non-state schools, which include faith-based institutions, private schools, and community learning centres.

In her keynote address, Dr. Ronke Soyombo, Registrar of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), said the policy addresses a critical gap in teacher professionalism.

 “A recent survey conducted by TRCN in 18 states showed that over 85 percent of persons teaching in private schools were either not registered or unregistrable as professionals,” she added.

Soyombo added that the policy mandates all non-state school teachers to be “registered, certified and licensed by the TRCN,” in line with the TRCN Act.

She announced the creation of a dedicated department for private schools and the launch of a digital teacher portal to streamline certification.

 

“We are advocating that non-state school proprietors must strictly abide by the stipulations of the policy on teacher quality,” she said, urging stakeholders to support the upcoming “amnesty” programme for unqualified teachers.

 

The TRCN and PLANE pledged continued support for the policy’s implementation, which aims to improve learning outcomes and uphold standards across Nigeria’s diverse education landscape.