NIEPA Hosts Quality Assurance Conference on Sustainable Development Goals

Ondo City, August 13, 2024 – The National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) today hosted the opening ceremony of its flagship Quality Assurance Conference at its headquarters in Ondo City.

The conference, themed “Advancing Education Delivery in Nigeria through Sustainable Development Goals, Quality Assurance Practices, and Effective Utilization of Reports,” aims to discuss innovative solutions for improving education delivery in Nigeria.

Delivering his Goodwill message at the conference, The Executive Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf,  emphasised the importance of education in achieving sustainable development. His Excellency, Alhaji Yusuf, who was a one-time Chairman of NIEPA’s governing Council, reiterated his government’s efforts in the education sector, including dedicating 29.95% of its 2024 Budget to the sector, restoring foreign scholarship programs in which the first batch of 550 postgraduate students are about to conclude their programs in several top-ranking universities across the globe, reduced Indigenous students’ registration fees by 50% in all state-owned tertiary institutions, resuscitated 15 skill acquisition institutes, established a new College of Education & Preliminary Studies, and funded all outstanding accreditation exercises in our tertiary institutions, among others. Alhaji Yusuf commended the efforts of the current Institute management for building on and surpassing the achievements of previous leaders of NIEPA.

In his welcome address, the Ag. Director-General/Chief Executive of NIEPA, Dr. David Adebiyi Shofoyeke, emphasized the significance of quality assurance in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4. He commended the efforts of Quality Assurance Officers and emphasized the need for continuous monitoring and evaluation to improve educational processes and outcomes. Dr. Shofoyeke also highlighted NIEPA’s commitment to building the capacity of education sector planners and managers, citing the recent Directors of Planning, Research, and Statistics (DPRS) conference hosted by the Institute. He expressed optimism that the conference would produce actionable recommendations for improving education delivery in Nigeria, aligning with the SDGs and national education priorities.

During the ceremony, goodwill messages were received from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and various state ministries of education.

According to the Chairman, of the Local Organising Committee Dr Opeyemi Oyekan, the conference features discussions on sub-themes such as the planner’s perspectives on Sustainable Development Goals, whole school evaluation, and quality assurance best practices and the event is a follow-up to the recent Directors of Planning, Research, and Statistics (DPRS) conference hosted by NIEPA.

The conference is expected to produce actionable recommendations for improving education delivery in Nigeria, aligning with the SDGs and national education priorities.