ALIGNING NIGERIA’S NATIONAL POLICY ON EDUCATION WITH SDG 4: ROLE OF ADULT LEARNING AND EDUCATION IN ACHIEVING INCLUSIVE QUALITY EDUCATION

Abstract

The National Policy on Education (NPE) in Nigeria serves as a crucial framework for guiding the nation’s educational development, aiming to ensure equitable and inclusive access to quality education, among other things. This paper critically examines the alignment between Nigeria’s NPE and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which seeks to engender inclusion and equity in quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities by 2030. Through the use of secondary data, it explores the potential role of Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) in addressing key challenges that have historically impeded progress, especially in the context of Nigeria's failure to meet its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on education. The paper highlights the systemic challenge that continues to affect the NPE’s implementation, including inadequate infrastructure, limited funding, and regional disparities in access to education. These issues are particularly pronounced in rural and conflict-affected regions, where many adults lack basic literacy skills and access to formal education. By focusing on the role of ACE, this paper argues that improving adult education initiatives can significantly enhance Nigeria's chances of achieving the targets of SDG 4. The paper concludes that the successful alignment of ACE with SDG 4 requires targeted efforts to address implementation gaps and promote lifelong learning.