What Nigeria's EdoBEST Reforms Teach About Improving Public Education. ( By Anthony Eze)

For many years, conversations about public education in Nigeria have focused on familiar challenges: overcrowded classrooms, inadequate infrastructure, teacher shortages, weak learning outcomes, and declining public confidence. These problems are not unique to Nigeria, but they have become particularly significant in a country with one of the world's largest school-age populations.

Against this backdrop, Edo State launched the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) programme in 2018 . Rather than introducing isolated interventions, the initiative sought to improve multiple parts of the education system simultaneously, including governance, teacher support, technology, accountability, and community participation. While the programme continues to attract both praise and criticism, it offers valuable lessons for policymakers, educators, and development practitioners.

Looking Beyond Infrastructure

Educational reform is often associated with constructing classrooms or distributing learning materials. Although these investments matter, they rarely produce lasting improvements on their own. The EdoBEST approach recognized that sustainable reform depends on strengthening the entire education system. Administrative structures, classroom practice, teacher support, monitoring, and community involvement all influence whether children learn effectively . This broader perspective represents one of the programme's most significant contributions to education policy.

Strengthening Governance and Accountability

One of the programme's defining features was its emphasis on accountability. Administrative processes were redesigned to improve oversight of public schools, while monitoring systems were introduced to help education managers identify challenges and respond more quickly. The underlying principle was straightforward: educational improvement requires timely information and consistent supervision.

According to a 2025 World Bank report on the programme, this focus has yielded tangible results. For instance, teacher attendance in primary schools improved dramatically from 63 percent in 2018/19 to 82 percent in 2023/24 . The World Bank noted that the reforms created a culture of accountability that was previously absent . However, questions remain about whether these systems will endure beyond the current administration.

Investing in Teachers

No education system can outperform the quality of its teachers. Recognizing this reality, the programme invested heavily in teacher training and classroom support. According to the World Bank, over 16,000 teachers—the vast majority of the workforce—have benefited from targeted training under the EdoBEST programme . Digital devices containing structured lesson guides were introduced to assist teachers in delivering lessons more consistently.

Supporters argue that this approach helps establish minimum standards of instructional quality in a system where teachers possess varying levels of professional preparation. However, the strategy has also generated legitimate debate, with some specialists questioning whether highly structured lesson delivery may reduce teachers' flexibility to adapt instruction to individual needs. This discussion highlights an important reality: successful reform often requires balancing consistency with professional autonomy.

Using Technology to Improve Decision-Making

Technology within the programme extended beyond classroom instruction. Digital tools were also used to support school monitoring and education management by collecting information on classroom activities, teacher attendance, and programme implementation . When used responsibly, such data can enable administrators to make more informed decisions and allocate resources more effectively.

The World Bank report cautions, however, that education technology should not be viewed as a standalone solution. It has proven powerful only when integrated coherently with other interventions, such as teacher training . For many developing education systems, building stronger data systems may prove just as important as investing in physical infrastructure.

Rebuilding Public Confidence

Parents are more likely to enrol their children in public schools when they believe those schools provide meaningful learning opportunities. Evidence from Edo State suggests that renewed public confidence accompanied the reforms. According to reports from 2024, the programme increased student enrolment by over 40 percent, reaching more than 384,000 children . This reversal of the pre-reform trend of declining enrolment signals that families responded to visible improvements. Community participation has been central to this, creating channels through which parents and local stakeholders contribute to school improvement.

Evidence of Learning Gains

Perhaps the most significant evidence of the programme's impact comes from learning outcome data. A recent World Bank report analyzing six years of EdoBEST implementation found that learning outcomes are improving as a result of the programme interventions. A large dataset shows that for primary school pupils, average test scores in quantitative reasoning rose by 12.5 percent between 2021 and 2023, and in verbal reasoning by 13.3 percent . Importantly, the report notes that the effect of the programme is increasing over time, underscoring the importance of sustained efforts and long-term commitment.

Important Questions Remain

While EdoBEST has attracted considerable attention, it should not be viewed as a flawless model. Several important questions deserve continued examination. Can reforms remain effective after changes in political leadership? How can policymakers balance standardized instruction with teacher creativity? Will similar approaches succeed in states with fewer financial or administrative resources? Can more programme data be made publicly available to support independent research?

These questions do not diminish the programme's achievements. Instead, they reflect the complexity of transforming public education on a large scale. The World Bank report itself emphasizes that EdoBEST is still an "ongoing, work-in-progress reform program," but its first six years of implementation show promise and offer critical lessons .

Lessons for Nigeria

Several broader lessons emerge from the EdoBEST experience.

First, meaningful educational reform requires political commitment over many years rather than isolated policy announcements. The World Bank attributes much of the programme's success to the political leadership and entrepreneurship that built consensus around the reforms .

Second, improving learning outcomes requires investment in teachers alongside effective systems of support and accountability. Teacher capacity remains a challenge, but the dual approach of immediate support and long-term capacity building has been essential .

Third, technology delivers the greatest value when it strengthens decision-making and complements other interventions, rather than simply introducing new devices into classrooms .

Finally, lasting educational improvement depends on earning the confidence of parents, teachers, and communities through consistent performance.

Conclusion

EdoBEST demonstrates that improving public education requires more than increased spending or isolated projects. It demands coordinated action across governance, teacher development, technology, community engagement, and accountability. The programme should neither be celebrated uncritically nor dismissed because it remains a work in progress. Instead, it should be studied as an evolving example of how governments can attempt systemic educational reform while remaining open to independent evaluation and continuous improvement.

For Nigeria and many other developing countries seeking stronger public education systems, the most important lesson may be this: sustainable reform is built through institutions, evidence, capable teachers, and long-term commitment—not through quick fixes.

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The statistics in this article have been verified against the following sources: World Bank Report on EdoBEST (2025), EdoBEST official programme documentation (2022), Global Partnership for Education (2024), The Guardian Nigeria (2024).

— Anthony Eze