Benue SUBEB hosts strategic coordination meeting ahead of Nat'l Learning Assessment Pilot Testing in three LGAs

By Johnson Arua

The Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has intensified preparations for the pilot implementation of the National Learning Assessment (NLA) with a strategic coordination meeting held at its headquarters in Makurdi.

The session brought together education stakeholders to align plans for the exercise, which is being driven by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and UNICEF.

The Special Assistant to the Executive Chairman on Corporate Communications and Community Engagements, Msughter Ataigbough, in a statement disclos3d that the pilot assessment will take place in Makurdi, Otukpo, and Okpokwu Local Government Areas, spanning both public and private schools.

Opening the meeting, the Commissioner for Education and Knowledge Management, Dr. Margaret Adamu, highlighted the value of the assessment in strengthening the education system through data-driven insights. She described Benue’s inclusion among pilot states in the North Central Zone as both strategic and timely.

“Benue’s selection is an opportunity to further demonstrate responsibility and commitment to ensuring that education remains a top priority in the state,” Adamu stated.

Also speaking, the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation at UBEC, Ada Ogwuche, who led a 30-member delegation, said the NLA is a key tool for tracking and improving education quality across all levels.

“Learning assessments serve as a systematic way of measuring what learners know, understand and are able to do, in order to determine the extent to which learning has taken place,” she explained.

In her remarks, the Executive Chairman of Benue SUBEB, Dr. Grace Adagba, assured stakeholders of the state’s readiness, noting that schools selected for the exercise are adequately prepared.

“Basic schools in the state are safe and ready enough for the exercise,” she said, reaffirming SUBEB’s commitment to policies and programmes that enhance learning outcomes and elevate the standard of basic education in Benue State.