Ministry of Education, no doubt, is one of the oldest ministries in Nigeria. While other ministries like information, solid minerals have undergone several name changes, the education ministry has borne the same name as far back as 1960.
Because of the importance of education to nation-building, it designs national policy on education.
It also has the highest number of agencies or parastatal apart from other departments and several units that help the ministry in actualising its objectives.
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7 Core roles of Nigeria’s Ministry of Education
1) It plays supervisory roles to ensure that the quality of education in the country isn’t compromised.
2) It is saddled with the responsibility of formulating a national policy on education.
3) It collates and analyse data that will help it in planning a sound education policy.
4) It develops curricula and syllabuses at the national level in conjunction with other stakeholders
5) It ensures that there is uniformity in the educational curriculum throughout Nigeria.
6) Through its National Council on Education, Nigeria’s ministry of education harmonises educational policies and procedures of all the states of the federation.
7) It ensures that education policies conform with global best practices.
Agencies under the Ministry of Education
As earlier noted, the ministry has the highest number of agencies in Nigeria, they are:
- National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS)
- National Universities Commission (NUC)
- Nigerian Educational Research Development Council (NERDC)
- West African Examination Council (WAEC)
- Nigerian French Language Village (NFV)
- National Commission for Adult Education Mass Literacy and Non-Formal Education (NMEC)
- National Examination Council (NECO)
- Librarians’ Registration Council of Nigerian (LRCN)
- National Board for Technical Education (NBTE)
- National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE)
- Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)
- National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE)
- Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN)
- Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TET FUND)
- Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)
- National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB)
- National Institute for Educational Planning & Administration (NIEPA)
- National Teachers Institute (NTI)
- National Institute for Nigerian Languages (NINLAN)
- Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN)
- National Library of Nigeria (NLN)
- Federal Scholarship Board (FSB)
- Nigerian Arabic Language Village (NALV)
- Nigerian Mathematical Centre (NMC)
The years when the agencies are established, their code mandates and operational headquarters are highlighted below:
| Parastatal | Year of Establishment | Core Mandate | Headquarters |
| NBAIS | 1960 | To design a workable integration of western and Islamic Education. | Kaduna |
| NERDC | 1988 | Saddled with the responsibility of conducting, promoting and coordinating educational research and curriculum for Nigeria. | Sheda, FCT |
| WAEC | 1952 | To research and conduct world class examination that is globally acceptable | Lagos |
| NFV | December 1991 | To prepare undergraduates of French from Nigerian Universities for the challenges ahead and to ensure that they can compete favourable well with other French-speaking countries around the world. | Badagry, Lagos |
| NMEC | June 1990 | To monitor and coordinate activities relating to national mass literacy campaign in order to ensure rapid and successful eradication of illiteracy in Nigeria. | Abuja |
| NECO | 2000 | To prepare and administer standard and credible nationally and internationally acceptable examinations. | Minna, Niger State |
| LRCN | 1995 | To determine who is qualified to be a librarian and to maintain a register of persons entitled to practice the profession in Nigeria. | Abuja |
| NBTE | 19777 | To consolidate and develop the nation’s system of higher education in response to the economy’s manpower needs | Kaduna |
| NCCE | April 1989 | To approve guidelines setting out criteria for accreditation of all Colleges of Education in Nigeria. | Abuja |
| NUC | 1962 | To promote quality higher education in Nigeria | Abuja |
| UBEC | 1999 | To undertake a reform programme aimed at providing greater access to, and ensuring quality of basic education throughout Nigeria. | Abuja |
| NCNE | 1989 | To cater for the educational needs of the socially excluded, educationally disadvantaged and migrant groups in Nigeria. | Abuja |
| CPN | 1993 | It is charged with responsibility for building-up local Information Technology (IT) capacity as well as the regulation of IT practice in Nigeria | Lagos |
| TET FUND | 2011 | To disburse, manage, and monitor education tax to government-owned tertiary institutions in Nigeria. | Abuja |
| JAMB | 1978 | To conduct uniform standard of examination and the placement of suitably qualified candidates into the nation’s tertiary institutions.
|
Bwari, Abuja |
| NABTEB | 1992 | To domesticate craft level examinations which were hitherto conducted by City & Guilds, Pittman’s, and Royal Society of Arts all of UK in accordance with the provisions of the National Policy on Education. | Benin-City, Edo |
| NIEPA | 1992 | To empower education sector planners and managers for effective and efficient planning and management of the education system in Nigeria. | Ondo |
| NTI | 1972 | To ensure that qualified teaching staff are in all levels of the educational system. | Kaduna |
| NINLAN | December 30, 1993 | To conduct research, teaching, documentation, and coordination of studies in Nigerian languages | Aba, Abia State |
| TRCN | 1993 | To determine what standards of knowledge and skills are to be attained by persons seeking to become registered teachers in Nigeria. | Abuja |
| NLN | November 6, 1964 | Ensure the building of an informed and enlightened citizenry through the provision of information resources that are readily available and easily accessible. | Abuja |
| FSB | To ensure that deserving Nigerian Scholars are awarded with foreign and local scholarships. | Abuja | |
| NALV | 1991 | To cater for the language immersion requirement of students offering Arabic language in Nigerian universities. | Ngala, Borno |
| NMC | January 1, 1998 | To identify and encourage young talents and attract distinguished mathematical scientists | Sheda, FCT |
