Academy Demands Review Of National Policy On Education, Teacher Training
By Alice Eqtuka, Abuja
The Nigerian Academy of Education (NAE) has called for a restructuring of the National Policy on Education, as well as a comprehensive overhaul of teacher education and professional development.
President of the Academy, Emeritus Professor Olugbemiro Jegede gave the call at the opening of the NAE 2026 Annual Congress in Abuja on Wednesday.
Professor Jegede stressed that Nigeria could no longer afford gradual or cosmetic changes to an education system confronted by rapidly evolving technological and economic realities.
“Nigeria stands at a volatile crossroads where obsolete educational paradigms collide with an unforgiving 21st-century reality. The era of comfortable, incremental reforms is over. As the newly designated intellectual engine for Nigeria’s future-proof economy, the NAE will no longer issue polite, reactive advisory notes. We are here to intentionally disrupt the archaic architectures holding our nation back,” he said.
The NAE President called on the Federal Government to urgently initiate a comprehensive review of the National Policy on Education, which he described as long overdue for revision in view of contemporary developments and the changing demands of society.
He also urged government to ensure strict compliance with established laws, provisions and regulations governing the composition of governing boards of educational institutions and parastatals.
Professor Jegede further called for a fundamental restructuring of teacher education and professional development, a comprehensive overhaul of instructional delivery methods and policies guaranteeing equitable access to digital technologies in classrooms across the country, irrespective of geographical location.
He stressed that the transformation of Nigeria’s education system required a coordinated partnership among the Federal Ministry of Education, State Ministries of Education, the Legislature and other relevant institutions.
The Academy’s new responsibility, he noted, demands a more active and interventionist intellectual community, urging newly inducted members and Fellows to translate their academic standing into practical contributions to national development.
“The Academy has no room for sedentary scholars or armchair theoreticians. Nigeria requires your raw intellect and your immediate, unyielding involvement to reshape our pedagogical destiny,” he declared.
He challenged members to bring their expertise to bear on the country’s most pressing educational challenges, particularly the development of digital competencies, the adoption of emerging technologies and the creation of an education system capable of producing a skilled and globally competitive workforce
This is even as the Federal Government designated the NAE as Nigeria’s apex national institution for digital literacy and the development of leaders for a future-ready economy, placing the country’s foremost body of educational scholars at the centre of efforts to reposition the education sector for the demands of the digital age.
With its new national mandate, the Academy is expected to take a leading role in developing Nigeria’s national digital skills framework and shaping policies for preparing the country’s future workforce. Its priorities will include the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), emerging technologies, innovative pedagogies and evidence-based approaches into education policy and practice.
The 2026 Annual Congress also featured the investiture of four distinguished academics as Fellows of the Nigerian Academy of Education.
Among those invested was Professor Josiah Olusegun Ajiboye, First Vice-President of the Academy, in recognition of his distinguished academic standing and contribution to education.
The Congress also paid tribute to deceased members and family members of Fellows, with special recognition of the late Professor David Adamu Baikie, one of the founding members of the Academy, as well as the late Mrs Lassa and the late Mr Omotayo Olarinoye.
The Academy’s leadership reaffirmed its commitment to preserving the legacies of its departed members through sustained dedication to academic excellence, educational advancement and national development.
The NAE President said the Academy’s new national responsibility would be measured not merely by policy recommendations but by its ability to contribute meaningfully to the transformation of education and the development of the human capital required for Nigeria’s future.
