On many occasions, the Kaduna State Government (KDSG) has decried school infrastructural decay, leading to weak institutional arrangements and poor learning outcomes. However, despite the growing challenges, KDSG has shown a resounding commitment to strengthening the state’s education sector. Most recently, this commitment culminated in strengthening the vertical alignment between the strategic direction of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the state level basic education programmes and interventions. The alignment was completed and further improved upon with support from PERL through the adaptation of the UBEC Act of 2004, National Policy on Education and development of an inclusive state Medium-Term Basic Education Strategic Plan (MTBESP). The Kaduna State MTBESP is a four-year plan that provides detailed activities, with financial estimates and a performance tracking mechanism for strengthening the basic education sub-sector in the state. The Strategic Plan was developed with technical assistance from PERL in response to a directive from UBEC, who provided a uniform reporting template as a guide for developing state-specific Medium Term Basic Education Strategic Plan (MTBESP) 2020-2023.
The Strategic Plan builds on other higher-level policies and plans of the state and sector (developed with support from PERL), including; the State Development Plan (SDP: 2016-2020).
The SDP was revised to cover 2021-2025. It provided the policy framework together with the National Education Policy (NPE) for the development of the Kaduna State Education Policy (KSEP) and Kaduna State Education Quality Assurance Policy (KSEQAP). These two policy documents provide a more detailed policy direction for the state’s education system covering 2019 – 2029. In addition to these sector policy documents, a 10-year Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP:2019-2029) was also developed. There was also an Education Sector Implementation Plan (ESIP: 2020-2022) which provides medium-term financial estimates for strategic activities in the sector.
The MTBESP 2020-2023 provides a strategic framework for revamping basic education in Kaduna State. It will also be the primary guide for annual budgets and performance reporting. All PERL’s work in the education sector leverages off results from FCDO’s investment in Kaduna State.