Kaduna Education Commissioner, and others from five northern states have called for the sustenance of education reforms supported by the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigerian Education (PLANE), as the programme’s Windows one , two and three came to a close on Tuesday.

At the closing event, commissioners from Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Borno and Yobe states commended the programme’s contributions to teacher development, access to education and the strengthening of education systems, while expressing concern over its winding down.

They stressed the need for participating states to build on the achievements recorded under the programme and ensure that its interventions continued to benefit learners beyond its lifespan.

The Kaduna State Commissioner for Education, Professor Abubakar Sani Sambo, said PLANE had helped strengthen the state’s education system through teacher training, the distribution of learning materials and improvements in education policies and data systems.

Sambo said education remained central to Governor Uba Sani’s administration, which he said had pursued reforms across the sector.

He disclosed that the State Universal Basic Education Board had delivered more than 2,000 new classrooms, while the state sponsored more than 136,000 candidates for the West African Examinations Council and other terminal examinations in 2024.

The commissioner also highlighted progress under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, saying the gender gap in secondary school participation had narrowed significantly, bringing boys’ and girls’ enrolment closer to parity.

On access to education, Sambo said more than 25,000 out-of-school children had returned to learning across Kaduna’s 23 local government areas through interventions targeting children who had missed formal schooling.

He said PLANE had complemented existing state initiatives by building on established policies, community structures and education plans rather than operating as a standalone intervention.

According to him, more than 6,300 teachers and nearly 700 head teachers received training under the programme, while 737,000 learning materials were distributed to schools.

He added that 76,125 learners benefited from community-based learning, including 40,958 girls and 4,389 children with disabilities.

The programme also supported 1,345 adolescents through life-skills clubs, while 2,811 children received assistance through child-protection interventions. In addition, 144 savings groups helped families keep their children in school.

“The seeds sown under PLANE are already bearing fruit,” Sambo said, noting that teachers trained through the programme were now teaching in learning centres serving out-of-school children.

He said policies developed through the initiative were informing the integration of education programmes, while improved data systems were supporting planning and decision-making.

Sambo said Kaduna intended to sustain the gains and urged other participating states to adopt the lessons and strengthen their education systems.

He also commended Governor Sani for prioritising education reform and thanked the United Kingdom government, through its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, for supporting education interventions over the years.

Meanwhile, the Borno State Commissioner for Education, Engr. Abba Lawan Wakilbe, said the close-out event provided an opportunity to celebrate PLANE’s achievements and reflect on the future of education reforms in participating states.

Wakilbe said the programme’s legacy would not be determined solely by what it accomplished during implementation but by what the states achieved afterwards.

“The legacy of PLANE will not be measured by what it has done, but by what we achieve from it afterwards,” he said.

The Yobe State Commissioner for Education, Professor Abba Idris Abba, also expressed appreciation for the programme and its interventions in the state.

Similarly, the Kano State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Ali Haruna Abubakar Makoda, commended PLANE and other education interventions, saying Kano had recorded improved performance in the National Examinations Council examinations.

The commissioners acknowledged the programme’s contributions to education development in their respective states and stressed the importance of preserving its gains beyond the close-out of the three programme windows.

The event brought together education officials from participating states, representatives of federal education agencies, development partners and PLANE programme leaders to review the initiative’s achievements and consider how its interventions could continue to inform education delivery across the participating states.