The United Kingdom has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting education development in Nigeria following the conclusion of a seven-year programme that reached more than two million children and trained over 25,000 teachers.

The Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE), funded by the UK and implemented by DAI, UNICEF, Save the Children and consortium partners, reached more than two million children and supported the training of over 25,000 teachers and facilitators during its implementation.

Speaking at the programme’s close-out event in Kaduna, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Pete Vowles, said the initiative demonstrated the importance of collaboration among governments, teachers, communities and development partners in improving learning outcomes.

He said the priority was to ensure that effective approaches developed under the programme continued beyond its conclusion, noting that some of the reforms were already being adopted and expanded by Nigerian institutions.

“PLANE has demonstrated the power of partnership between governments, teachers, communities and development partners,” Vowles said.

“While we are celebrating the achievements of the programme today, the most important question is what happens next. We are encouraged to see successful approaches being adopted and scaled by Nigerian institutions, ensuring that improvements in learning continue long after the programme ends.

“PLANE is closing. The UK’s education partnership with Nigeria is not.”

The programme supported improvements in foundational literacy and numeracy, strengthened safeguarding systems to make schools safer for children and generated evidence on how effective teaching approaches could improve learning when implemented at scale.

The event brought together the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, who represented Governor, Uba Sani, officials of the Federal Ministry of Education, education leaders, teachers, development partners and community representatives to discuss lessons from the programme and ways to sustain its achievements.

Balarabe thanked the UK government, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the British High Commission and the PLANE implementation team for their contributions to education development in the state.

She said the programme had worked with government officials and communities, including those in remote areas, helping to build capacity among teachers and public officials.

Meanwhile, the UK has reaffirmed its commitment to education and human capital development in Nigeria, with its representatives also visiting the College of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Kaduna to highlight cooperation between Nigerian institutions and UK universities.

The partnerships are designed to equip students with advanced technical and professional skills and form part of the UK’s broader transnational education agenda, which promotes collaboration between institutions in both countries in learning, research and skills development.

Head of Development Cooperation at the British High Commission in Nigeria, Cynthia Rowe, said the gains recorded under PLANE demonstrated the potential of combining evidence, innovation and partnerships to address educational challenges.