By: Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja.
The Federal Government has disclosed that more than 8,000 schools have been rehabilitated while over 1.2 million out-of-school children have been enrolled back into classrooms under the education reforms introduced by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Maruf Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Education Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (ECAN) Summit held at Barcelona Hotel, Abuja.
The summit, themed “Three Years of the Tinubu Administration: Assessing Reforms, Progress and Challenges in Nigeria’s Education Sector,” brought together policymakers, education stakeholders and journalists to review the achievements and challenges of the sector.
According to the minister, the administration’s reforms are anchored on six priority areas, including technical and vocational education, science and technology education, reduction of out-of-school children, improved access to education, quality assurance and data-driven planning.
He said the government has revitalised Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), with more than 115,000 students currently undergoing training in about 1,600 accredited skills centres across the country.
Dr. Alausa explained that trainees receive monthly stipends of between N25,000 and N30,000, while many will also be provided with starter packs valued at up to N1 million upon graduation to encourage entrepreneurship and employment.
He disclosed that the Federal Government has invested nearly N100 billion in strengthening the TVET ecosystem over the past two years, describing the initiative as critical to addressing youth unemployment and closing Nigeria’s skills gap.
On tertiary education, the minister said the administration has restored stability to public universities through sustained engagement with academic unions, resulting in uninterrupted academic calendars.
“For the first time in many years, students admitted into four-year programmes are completing them within four years,” he said.
He also revealed that 24 Nigerian universities are now ranked among the top 1,000 universities globally, compared to 21 previously, with 17 of the institutions being public universities.
The minister stressed that the government’s education reforms are guided by reliable data rather than assumptions.
He disclosed that findings from the 2024/2025 Annual School Census showed that Nigeria has about 25 million pupils in primary schools but only five million students enrolled in junior secondary schools, indicating that nearly 20 million children fail to transition to the next level of education.
According to him, the data revealed that while the country has about 90,000 primary schools, there are only about 16,000 junior secondary schools, making access a major factor behind the high dropout rate.
Dr. Alausa called on journalists to use education data to hold state governments accountable for improving teacher-to-student ratios, classroom infrastructure and access to quality education.
He also challenged governors and local government chairmen to prioritise investments in basic education using evidence generated from the government’s Digital Education Management Information System.
The minister noted that poverty, rather than insecurity, remains the leading cause of school dropouts, accounting for more than 90 per cent of cases.
To address the challenge, Education Minister said the Federal Government has expanded social protection programmes aimed at supporting vulnerable households, including the HOPE Basic Education Programme, the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, and the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Development Programme.
He explained that the initiatives, backed by billions of dollars in international financing, would provide conditional cash transfers, school supplies, transportation support and other incentives to keep children, especially girls, in school.
Earlier, ECAN Chairman, Chux Ukwuatu, said the summit provided an opportunity for stakeholders to undertake an honest assessment of the Tinubu administration’s education reforms, achievements and remaining challenges.
He described education as the foundation of national development and urged journalists to continue promoting accountability through balanced and evidence-based reporting.
Ukwuatu noted that the Minister of Education has championed far-reaching reforms, including the establishment of the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure, the Education Sector Review Initiative, and proposals to restructure Nigeria’s basic education system into an uninterrupted 12-year model to improve retention and reduce dropout rates.
He also commended the minister for suspending the proposed increase in WAEC examination fees following public concerns, describing the decision as a demonstration of responsive leadership.
During the event, Dr. Alausa received the ECAN Award for Outstanding Leadership in Education Transformation in recognition of his contributions to repositioning Nigeria’s education sector.
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, said the ongoing reforms are focused on improving learning outcomes, with teacher quality remaining central to the administration’s agenda.
Also speaking, Chairperson of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, Mrs. Grace Ike, described education as the bedrock of national development and urged journalists to continue amplifying the voices of teachers, pupils and students while promoting policies that strengthen the education sector.
Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, also reaffirmed the commission’s support for the ongoing reforms, saying they are laying the foundation for a more inclusive, accessible and quality education system across the country.
