The Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, on Monday said that the ministry had recorded progressive increase in budgetary allocations from 2010 to 2012.

Rufa’i said this at a meeting with Task Teams for the 2013 Mid-Term Review of the four-year strategic plan for the development of the education sector in Abuja.

She said: “Funding and partnerships are key factors to attaining our objectives and global developments, pointing out that “Over the past years, the budget for the Education sector has increased from N234.8 billion in 2010 to N426.5 billion in 2012.

“There has also been progressive increase in allocation to all sectors and institutions,” Rafai said.

On the Basic Education level, the minister said intervention funds for each state is expected to be N1 billion for 2013.

According to her, “This is with states providing similar figure; there will be more resources for further development and rehabilitation of infrastructure across the sector.

“In addition to their normal budgetary provisions, our tertiary institutions are benefiting from increased allocation from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund),’’ she said.

The minister said that allocation to universities had also increased from N303.14 million in 2010 to N595 million in 2012.

She further said that allocation to the Polytechnics had increased from N216.56 million to N337 million and that of colleges of education had increased from N157.17 million to N319 million.

“For us in the education sector, we continue to work with diverse organisations that are key to supporting us in our quest for transforming the sector.

Rufa’i noted that International Development Partners, Non-Governmental Organisations and the private sector had continued to support the sector actively.

She said the Global Partnership for Education was finalising the process of supporting five Nigerian states toward improving access to education valued at about N16 billion in the first phase.

Minister said that the UK Department For International Development (DFID), was supporting teacher Development efforts through a new Programme on Teacher Professional Development.

The minister said that DFID portfolio of support had increased from N16 billion since 2011 to N61 billion currently.

She said the US Agency for International Development (USAID), was actively in support of the efforts in enhancing access and quality through a number of programmes worth over N16 billion.

Rufa’i said other partners are World Bank, UNICEF and UNESCO, while the Japanese and Korea International Development Agencies are also supporting across the states.

According to her, “we are also committed to the African Centres of Excellence Programme and have made an initial seed grant of $15 million.

“This is a programme that will build on the successes of the recent $180 million STEP-B Project which has enhanced the infrastructure facilities in Science and Technology in federal Post-Basic institutions.

“As a result of the project, Centres of Excellence in 11 subject areas are currently in progress, promoting collaboration among our institutions both internally and externally,’’ she said.

She said that President Goodluck Jonathan was also supporting the education sector in the drive for further partnership to improve the sector.

“As a result of this, a number of organisations and countries are putting together support framework for Nigerian states with the greatest challenge of out-of-school children,’’ she said.