IN spite of the multifaceted challenges confronting the education sector in Nigeria, the Federal Government has affirmed commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu towards repositioning education to serve as a catalyst for national renewal.
Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, speaking on key efforts of the current administration to transform education acknowledged the unwavering leadership of Tinubu, whose Renewed Hope Agenda has made education one of the cornerstones of national development.
Alausa revealed that concerted efforts are ongoing to strengthen the foundational educational by refocusing the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to perform its pivotal role of ensuring that no child is left out in the country.
He particularly noted that the Federal Government, through UBEC had expanded access to basic education especially in rural underserved areas, and marginalized populations.
He disclosed that in the past six months only, 4,900 classrooms were constructed, 3,000 classrooms renovated, 34 model and SMART schools schools built, 353,000 furniture supplied, which has impacted 2.3 million learners nationwide.
Speaking on the efforts to address the challenge of out-of-school children, the Minister revealed that Almajiri Commission has opened offices in all the states of the Federation while they have done national mapping of almost 1 million out-of-school children.
He added that government had developed a technology platform bringing together National Secondary Education Commission (NSEC), Nomadic Education and Almajiri Commission under one roof, saying this would help in data collection, analysis and planning to reduce the out-of-school children population.
According to him, 35,000 learners have been reintegrated into formal education through Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres across the country while 1,400 Tsangaya teachers have been trained and policies on Almajiri and non-state schools have been strengthened.
He said the government is also working on expanding the annual enrollment of medical students to 20,000 so as to expand access to medical education and retain critical health manpower in the face of the rising Japa (emmigration) trend, which has seen many professionals leave the country in search of better opportunities abroad.
According to him, the reforms are part of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), inspired by President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which positions education as a catalyst for national renewal.
Alausa disclosed that enrolment in Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy has doubled in recent years, with medical student intake rising from about 5,000 to a projected 20,000 in the 2025/2026 academic session. Nursing admissions have also grown exponentially, from 28,000 to 115,000 nationwide.
He said: ‘We have doubled the intake of students in Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy in our health educational institutions. For medical students for example, from an enrollment of 5,000 students a couple of years back, we are well on our way to achieving 20,000 this new academic year. These are all aimed at addressing the critical manpower shortages in the health sector.
‘These interventions are deliberate steps to address critical manpower shortages in the health sector and ensure that Nigerians are not denied access to quality healthcare because of the japa syndrome,’ the minister said.
He further disclosed that 18 medical schools are being equipped with modern facilities, while 1,000 laboratories are being upgraded in senior secondary schools in partnership with the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).
‘We are partnering with the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) to equip 1000 Laboratories in our senior secondary schools nationwide.
‘Nursing student intake has risen to 115,000 nationwide, from an initial figure of 28,000 which we met on ground. This would greatly increase the number of Nurses that would serve the nation despite the JAPA syndrome we are currently facing now,’ he said.
On TVET initiative, Alausa said this is designed to translate training directly into employment opportunities and entrepreneurship, disclosing that government has effectively launched the TVET digital platform which attracted 1.3 million applicants within a few weeks of opening the portal, with 960,000 completing applications.
‘Over 1,600 accredited centres are now onboarded. Already, 58,000 students have been matched to centres, with a target of 125,000-150,000 trainees in the coming phase. The first cohort will be starting in the next 2 weeks.
‘Commencing with the 2025/26 academic year, we are providing free education in our technical schools. This initiative covers full tuition, boarding, and feeding at federal and state technical colleges, plus a monthly stipend (?22,500) for students. This is designed to reduce financial barriers to vocational education.
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‘We have identified one technical school per state that will also benefit from this free education apart from the federal schools. Also over 5,600 technical teachers and instructors have been retrained in modern pedagogies,’ the Minister stated.
He also spoke on Nigeria’s membership of WorldSkills International, giving artisans global certification opportunities and training of 6,000 teachers in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to prepare learners for the digital future.
Alausa said the current administration has also introduced the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF), a ?10 million interest-free revolving loan scheme for staff of public tertiary institutions.
He maintained that education remains central to national renewal, assuring Nigerians that the government continue to implement reforms that bridge gaps in access, quality, and relevance while tackling brain drain across key sectors.