USING EFFECTIVE REGULATION TO BOOST THE QUALITY OF SECONDARY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA (Pt1)

INTRODUCTION

In a nation where the future of millions of young people is shaped within the walls of secondary schools, the question of quality has never been more urgent. Nigeria’s secondary education system sits at a critical intersection—burdened by rising enrolment, uneven standards, resource constraints, and evolving societal demands. At the heart of addressing these challenges lies one powerful lever: effective regulation.

Regulation, when thoughtfully designed and consistently enforced, does more than set rules—it establishes standards, ensures accountability, and creates an enabling environment for excellence to thrive. Yet, in many cases, gaps between policy intent and on-the-ground realities continue to undermine outcomes. How can regulatory frameworks move beyond compliance to truly drive quality? What institutional reforms are required to build a resilient, future-ready secondary education system?

From strengthening institutional capacity and improving enforcement mechanisms, to leveraging data, empowering educators, and fostering stakeholder collaboration, this conversation explores how regulation can be repositioned as a catalyst for transformation rather than a bureaucratic constraint.

As Nigeria seeks to equip its young population with the knowledge, skills, and values needed for the 21st century, the role of smart, adaptive, and effective regulation cannot be overstated. This interview provides both a diagnosis of the current system and a roadmap for building a more accountable, equitable, and high-performing secondary education sector.

DR. ROSEMARY UMANA

In this exclusive interview, The Regulators Magazine speaks with Dr. Rosemary Umana, a former Director of the Department of Policy and Implementation at the FCT Education Secretariat, a seasoned public sector leader with deep insights into the mechanics of education governance. Drawing from her years of experience at the intersection of policy design, implementation, and oversight, Dr. Umana offers a candid assessment of Nigeria’s regulatory landscape and shares practical pathways for reform.

Renowned for her deep institutional knowledge and results-driven approach, she played a pivotal role in translating policy frameworks into actionable programs, ensuring that regulatory directives were not only well-crafted but effectively executed across secondary schools. Her work bridged the critical gap between policy intent and classroom realities—an area often cited as a major weakness in Nigeria’s education system.

Throughout her tenure, she championed reforms aimed at strengthening quality assurance systems, enhancing monitoring and evaluation processes, and promoting accountability among key stakeholders in the education value chain. Her leadership contributed to improved coordination within the Secretariat and fostered a culture of performance, compliance, and continuous improvement in FCT Secondary Schools..

Beyond her official role, she is widely respected as a thought leader in education governance, with a passion for building systems that deliver measurable outcomes. Her insights into regulatory effectiveness, institutional strengthening, and sustainable education reform make her uniquely qualified to speak on the theme of this interview.

In this conversation, she brings a wealth of experience, offering practical perspectives on how effective regulation can be harnessed to transform the quality of secondary education in Nigeria.

Welcome to TRM Interview Platform

I am grateful for the privilege to be a part of the ongoing global conversations on the regulation of secondary education in Nigeria for quality assurance. I dare say that the theme is way beyond a few hours of interview as regulation is non-negotiable for a system to survive. I need to remind us that a regulatory framework is crucial in Nigerian education and elsewhere to guarantee quality, standardize curricula, and manage the growth of public and private institutions, preventing the proliferation of substandard schools. It ensures equitable access, maintains educational standards, and enhances national socioeconomic development.

 To place the theme in perspective, a regulatory framework in education is a structured system of rules, policies, and guidelines established by government bodies to govern the operation, quality, and accountability of educational institutions. It ensures adherence to standards for curriculum, infrastructure, and teacher quality, while promoting equity and protecting student interests.

The regulatory framework in education in Nigeria is a multi-layered structure combining legislative acts, national policies, and specialized regulatory bodies that oversee quality assurance, curriculum development, and institutional accreditation. The system is mostly guided by the National Policy on Education (NPE), which defines the goals and structure, while the Federal Ministry of Education provides top-level supervision, aided by state-level agencies. These frameworks cover Basic education regulated by UBEC; secondary by NSSEC and higher education by NUC, NBTE and NCCE, for both public and private institutions 

1. As former Director of Policy and Implementation in the FCT, how would you describe the regulatory backbone of secondary school education in Nigeria today?

As a former Director of Policy and Implementation in FCT, I wish to note that, the regulatory backbone of secondary education in Nigeria is anchored on the National Policy on Education, which outlines the framework for education delivery. The policy emphasizes quality education, access, and equity. Yet, implementation and enforcement remain significant challenges. The National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) I perceive is now working to address these gaps by developing standards, building capacity, and promoting innovation.

However, it is pertinent to note that the National Senior Secondary Education Commission – NSSEC) which should have driven the regulation of secondary schools in Nigeria was comatose for over two decades.  Originally established by law in 1999 and revised in 2004, the committee for its actual take-off was inaugurated by the Federal Government on June 13, 2019, to address gaps in secondary education. The commission became fully operational in 2021. Still, reports indicate it officially commenced full activities in Nigeria on May 12, 2022. President Buhari signed the National Senior Secondary Education Commission Bill into law in May 2023, which repealed the old 2004 Act.

With such a checkered history, the regulation of senior secondary education became an all-comers affair. And rightly so, since education at this level is on the concurrent list with the federal and states government exercising responsibility.

• In your experience, what are the most critical weaknesses in the current regulatory framework governing secondary schools?

Based on my earlier discussions, my visits to schools then, participation in high-level policy meetings and personal research, have revealed some critical weaknesses in the current framework.

• Inadequate enforcement of standards: Some schools do not meet requirements, and regulations are not strictly enforced. Quite often, there is an apparent lack of understanding of the standards stipulated within the ranks of administrators and enforcers. You cannot give what you don’t have. When I served as Director of Policy, one of the critical strategies we adopted was to continually engage quality assurance personnel, proprietors and managers of schools with the contents of the minimum standards for establishment of schools. Stakeholder’s consultations were a common sight in those days. 
• Limited funding: Insufficient budget allocation, particularly low budget releases, hampers infrastructure, teacher training, and resource development.
• Outdated curriculum: Some content may not align with current societal needs or global trends. Now let us consider the emergence of AI. Can we say confidently that we are prepared for this level of technology invasion? We hyped digital literacy and STEM for several years but as usual implemented them in silos. It is common knowledge that Nigeria recently announced a new curriculum but with vague implementation guidelines and strategies according to observations from education stakeholders.
• Non harmonized professional teacher development, training and certification is a prevailing challenge. Quality of teaching varies, impacting education delivery. Professional development for teachers is often offered by many organizations who seek to support the system but these are largely un-coordinated in terms of content and reach.
• Weak monitoring and evaluation resulting from limited capacity to assess and improve school performance regularly. Recall that in 2014, the National Education Quality Assurance Policy and in 2017 the National Education Quality Assurance Handbook for Basic and Secondary Education in Nigeria were released to address these limitations. Sadly, several other variables such as inadequate funding and weak commitment at various levels have remained a bane to full implementation of whole school evaluation.
• Insecurity and access issues: Safety concerns and unequal access hinder education delivery.

So, strengthening regulatory frameworks, increasing funding, and improving stakeholder engagement are crucial for enhancing secondary education in Nigeria.

• How can regulation move beyond compliance monitoring to becoming a genuine driver of quality improvement?
• Regulation is a holistic process and without addressing compliance, quality improvement can hardly be measurable. So, for a more impactful process, it is important to do the following in addition.
• –  Prioritize learning outcomes, student well-being, and skills development over just compliance.
• – Support school growth by providing resources, training, and guidance for schools to improve continuously.
• – Encourage innovation by allowing flexibility for schools to innovate and address local needs.
• – Engage stakeholders such as teachers, parents, and communities in decision-making and feedback loops.
• – Use data effectively to analyze performance to inform improvements and targeted support. Unfortunately, as a nation we still struggle with access to reliable data 

In practice, examples abound of countries that have used regulation to drive quality improvement:

• Singapore for example focuses on autonomy for schools with strong accountability. Schools have flexibility to innovate, with regular reviews tied to outcomes.
• UK’s Ofsted Inspections focus on school improvement, offering actionable feedback and support for growth.
• Finland emphasis on trust in educators, with regular evaluations aimed at supporting improvement
• In the Nigerian context, potential ideas could include:
• School improvement partnerships which involve pairing struggling schools with high-performing ones for mentorship. This is already a model in FCT where schools in the same cluster engage each other for improvement. It could become a widespread good practice.
• Teacher development programs should be tied to career progression and school needs. Without this, teachers may take the opportunity for training lightly.
• Strengthening Community-led monitoring such as SBMCs and PTAs by engaging local communities in tracking school performance and providing feedback.

B. Policy Design & Implementation

Policies are developed to solve problems. From my years of experience in the policy making environment, Nigeria practices a highly centralized process, usually from top down. I have watched implementation of such policies suffer mismanagement, political interferences as government change, lack of continuity and of course poor funding.

• Many policies are well written but poorly implemented. From your leadership experience, what makes the difference between effective regulation and mere policy documentation?

From my leadership experiences, effective regulation demands dealing with gaps in the following areas:

• Ensuring clear accountability that involves assigning responsibility and tracking progress. In the FCT for instance, Secondary Education Board has the responsibility of regulating secondary education. The expectation is that they interpret and implement every policy with fidelity. There must be clear communication to ensure stakeholders understand expectations and progress. Usually, an adaptive management posture is necessary to allow flexibility to adjust the approaches based on feedback and context. Such feedback could be student performance data and school assessments to guide support.                                                                                                                                            
• Stakeholder buy-in that involves engaging those impacted (teachers, schools, communities) must be done early. I wish to stress the word EARLY. Don’t backbench this strategy. Identify Champions and immerse them in the vision. Appointing committed leaders to drive policy execution is too crucial to be left to chance. During the period I served as Director DPI, we needed to implement the policy on Minimum Standards for Establishment and Operation of schools in FCT. Some of our champions were Royal Highnesses in their domains, religious organizations, University lectures, the Nigerian Police Force, Media, relevant NGOs and private schools’ leaders. Among the champions also were dedicated quality assurance officers in the city center and zones. The force was formidable, even when there were threats from affected persons, the champions would not retreat.                                                                                                                                    
• Political will: This requires consistent commitment from leadership to drive implementation. Within the period in reference in the FCT, there was a much focused leadership that could no longer condone mushrooming of substandard schools. The then FCT Minster backed up his commitment with provision of adequate resources and sustained oversight.                                                                                                 
• Adequate resources translate to allocating funds, building capacity, and providing tools for implementation.  The truth is that no matter how articulate and relevant a policy is, without a budget, it is dead on arrival. Appropriate lobbying should be engaged in to make provision for policy implementation. One needs informed prioritization to focus on a few key goals rather than spreading resources thin.
• Monitoring and feedback loops: This is an ongoing process from start to finish. Regular check-ins to course-correct and improve based on data-driven decisions to track progress and adjust strategies is needful. Notwithstanding, in few instances, the monitors get compromised because of the endemic corruption in the system.  For us in Nigeria, leveraging technology for monitoring by using digital tools for real-time tracking of policy impact is a task that must be accomplished.                                                                                   
• What institutional mechanisms are necessary to ensure that education policies are faithfully implemented at school level?

These questions dovetail into one another, and we have already highlighted some. So, I will try as much as possible to bring out some distinguishing aspects. To ensure faithful implementation of education policies in Nigeria I believe we can improve on these ideas which are already common practices in the Nigerian system.

• Clear implementation guidelines with detailed plans with roles, timelines, and resources. Nigeria is a country blessed with very intelligent, resourceful and well-endowed individuals. Several of our policies are well articulated and world-class. I can vouch for this because I have had the opportunity of walking that road. I have participated in State-level education sector planning and development. Priority areas such as provision of infrastructure, staff recruitments, teacher training, curriculum standards and integration of technology were all captured and budgeted for. Without this, implementation would be a farce. The FCT Education Secretariat for instance was very intentional in developing and following through with such plans. This facilitated some of the accomplishments FCT made over time in education.                                                                                                                       
• In terms of Accountability structures and adopting the approach to designate policy champions or units to track progress, I have seen policy implementation tasks team set up to drive execution. Task forces for Universal Basic Education (UBE) set up by States to push UBE implementation, involving government, NGOs, and communities are an ongoing strategy. Another is the School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) where Communities lead monitoring and support in schools, improving accountability. I have been part of the education sector coordination platforms where regular meetings are held to align stakeholders and structure.                                                                                                        
• Regular monitoring and reporting using data to spot-check implementation and address gaps. This was my brief in those days. The FCT for instance aligns with the National Education Quality Assurance Policy- However, it is important to note that every state has peculiarity and must review and adapt national policies to fit the uniqueness for each state. FCT for instance has a quality assurance department charged with monitoring. Unfortunately, the mission of this department is often perceived as fault finding and not for growth. The system has overtime made posting to this department appear as a place to discard old hands stripping the monitors of respect and value. Thankfully, the new quality assurance policy and other State specific strategies have been designed to correct this. Notwithstanding, perceptions are difficult to alter.

We have discussed capacity building for teachers, school leaders, and officials on policy goals and execution earlier and will continue to bring them up as pertinent to the discussions. We have also touched on stakeholder engagement, policy implementation task forces, giving schools autonomy with accountability and empowering them to innovate with clear targets.

In summary, we can drive implementation through these mechanisms, building local ownership, improving coordination and addressing context-specific challenges.

6). How can regulators ensure that standards are consistent across public and private secondary schools without stifling innovation?

See, minimum standards must be realistic. Sometimes regulations focus a lot on infrastructure and such other input, but pay less attention to outcomes related to quality and equity. An environment that is heavily prescriptive can restrict day to day activity of the school and hamper innovation. Mindful of this, FCT for example, reviewed its policies to allow schools to innovate with curriculum delivery. So, there are religious based schools such as the Accelerated Christian Education, ones that integrate Islamic education with western education, while others operate Nigerian British Curriculum to site but a few examples. We focused on setting core learning outcomes and let schools innovate how they achieve them.  Baseline – every child writes and performs acceptably in both Junior Secondary School Certificate and Senior Secondary school Certificate Examinations.

Other ways regulators can balance consistency with innovation can include:

• Focusing attention on schools with concerns, while giving those meeting minimum standards flexibility to operate. This would imply that the quality assurance officers become mentors.                                                                                                                               
• Support for innovation by various organizations to schools has become a prevalent practice, particularly as the idea of Cooperate Social Responsibility became a tax policy. Offer of grants or recognition for schools trying new approaches have gained momentum. To illustrate, cooperation with International Development Partners such as UNICEF, World Bank, the British Council, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other Authorities has yielded immense support. Such support cover development of policies, teacher training, provision of infrastructure, instructional materials etc. While not campaigning, I am very intrigued by the innovation and operations at the N100 naira a day Knosk School at Kuje, FCT, Abuja. They deserve the attention and partnerships they have secured.                                             
• Provide clear and flexible standard, updating with input from educators and innovators. Also, showcase successes by sharing innovative schools’ stories to inspire others. At the height of our enforcement activities in those days, we injected this strategy, and Ladela Schools, Abuja, won the award. This ignited a dawn of healthy competition and more compliant schools in the FCT.

Yes, consistent standards across school operations are needed but governments should allow room for operators to tailor the detail of their activities according to what works best in their individual school. Encouraging innovation in schools which can improve education outcomes can become important test beds for innovation. This way, regulators ensure quality while allowing experimentation.

Watch out for Part 2.