The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has highlighted 26 initiatives and reported achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s administration in the education sector, covering university reforms, teacher development, technical education and student entrepreneurship.
The initiatives were outlined in an A–Z document titled From Reform to Results, shared by Alausa on his X account under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).
They include the new ASUU agreement, the return of over one million out-of-school children to learning, ₦372.62 billion disbursed through NELFUND, and programmes to expand girl-child education, medical training and digital learning.
NESRI is the Federal Ministry of Education’s six-pillar policy plan, focused on technical and vocational education, science and medical education, out-of-school children and Almajiri education, girl-child education, data and digitalisation, and quality assurance.
The A-to-Z list covers interventions from basic education through universities, targeting students, teachers, researchers and institutions.
Here are the 26 initiatives and the figures in the document:
A. ASUU Agreement
The Federal Government has sealed a fresh agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities to enhance staff welfare and ensure stability in the university system.
Under the deal, academic staff will receive a 40 per cent pay rise, a reviewed Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance, improved cadre-based allowances and provisions for earned academic allowances.
B. Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA)
The programme targets the problem of out-of-school children, especially in 17 northern states with high numbers of children outside formal education.
It is widening access to basic education and giving children a chance to return to school.
C. Campus Mobility Initiative
The initiative offers eco-friendly transport to ease movement within university campuses.
According to the government, 780 electric tricycles have been deployed to 48 universities, with 35 allocated to each school.
D. Diaspora BRIDGE
The programme links Nigerian professionals abroad with students and institutions at home to share their knowledge and experience in teaching and learning.
The document stated that 1,141 experts had signed up, with 16,675 students benefiting across 107 tertiary institutions.
E. Empowering Educators
Through EduRevamp and the Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway, the government is supporting teachers’ professional growth, certification and licensing.
The document showed 53,553 teachers enrolled on EduRevamp and 51,794 registrations for the first ATPP cohort.
It also disclosed a ₦2 billion investment in the programme, which aims to reach 250,000 teachers by 2027.
F. Free Technical Education
The initiative offers free technical education to pupils in federal and selected state technical colleges.
The package covers free tuition, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.
The document also noted that 38 federal and state technical colleges had been renovated to create a better environment for hands-on skills training.
G. Girl-Child Education
Through programmes such as the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, the government is tackling obstacles that prevent girls from enrolling in, remaining in and succeeding at school.
The document said 7.19 million girls were benefiting from direct interventions across 21 AGILE states, while 3.7 million were enrolled in junior and senior secondary schools.
Over 422,720 girls had completed life-skills programmes, while more than 10,000 schools had received improved classrooms, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and teaching and learning materials.
H. HOPE Education
The HOPE-Education programme, backed by $552 million in World Bank funding, seeks to strengthen foundational education and improve learning outcomes.
The document listed 29 million child beneficiaries, support for over 500,000 teachers, 65,000 public schools to be strengthened and 10,000 non-formal learning centres to be upgraded.
I. Inspire Live!
The programme delivers live online lessons for pupils from Primary One to Senior Secondary School Three.
The lessons are taught by certified educators, with artificial intelligence-assisted question-and-answer support.
It is designed to tackle teacher shortages and improve access to quality teaching, especially in schools with few teachers.
J. JAMB Admissions Reform
The government has introduced changes to tertiary admission requirements to create more flexible routes for applicants.
Under the reforms, the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination requirement has been scrapped for admission into National Certificate in Education programmes.
Entry requirements have also been reviewed for selected National Diploma programmes.
K. Knowledge Economy
The initiative promotes research, innovation, entrepreneurship and the commercialisation of ideas in tertiary institutions.
Through Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Committees, universities are being urged to convert research findings into practical solutions, businesses and job opportunities.
The document also listed a National Laureate Prize with an annual award fund of ₦365 million to reward excellence in research and innovation.
L. National Learning Assessment
The Federal Ministry of Education has reintroduced the National Learning Assessment to measure what pupils are learning and identify gaps in the education system.
The assessment is expected to provide evidence to guide improvements in teaching, curriculum development and education policy.
M. Medical Education Expansion
The initiative focuses on producing more healthcare professionals in Nigerian institutions and strengthening medical education.
The document said annual nursing enrolment had risen from 28,000 to 115,000, while medical and dental enrolment increased from 5,000 to 12,000.
Pharmacy enrollment also grew from 3,644 to 7,419.
It added that a ₦110 billion intervention was supporting the renovation of 24 medical schools.
N. Nigerian Education Loan Fund
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund provides financial support to eligible students to cover institutional fees and upkeep.
The document said 1,659,853 applications had been processed, with ₦192.89 billion paid as institutional fees and ₦179.73 billion disbursed as upkeep allowances.
The fund had also covered 319 beneficiary institutions, with total reported disbursements of ₦372.62 billion.
O. Out-of-School Children and Almajiri Education
The initiative aims to bring out-of-school children back into learning through inclusive education and the National Almajiri Policy, which combines formal education with traditional Qur’anic education.
According to the document, more than one million out-of-school children had been reintegrated, while 200 bilingual learning centres had been established and 1,400 Tsangaya teachers trained.
It also listed 13,000 classrooms for construction or rehabilitation.
P. Prioritising Educators’ Welfare
Through the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund, academic and non-academic workers in public tertiary institutions can receive financial support of up to ₦10 million for housing, transportation, medical needs, education and other welfare needs.
The document said ₦28 billion had been disbursed to 15,000 staff members across 153 public tertiary institutions.
Q. Quality Assurance
The government said it was strengthening education standards, curricula and learning outcomes through its quality assurance reforms.
A major component is the introduction of a new national curriculum, which includes the return of Nigerian History to classrooms and greater emphasis on Civic and Heritage Studies.
The initiative is meant to make learning more relevant and equip pupils with knowledge of their country’s history, identity and responsibilities.
R. Renewable Energy for Education
Through the Renewed Hope Energising Education Programme and the University Compressed Natural Gas Project, the government is providing cleaner and more reliable energy for tertiary institutions.
The document said solar mini-grids had been built in 37 federal universities and seven teaching hospitals.
It also listed 20 federal and state universities fitted with CNG refuelling stations.
S. Student Venture Capital Grant
The Student Venture Capital Grant provides equity-free funding to student entrepreneurs with innovative ideas in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medical sciences.
The first cycle attracted 30,639 registrations from 404 tertiary institutions, with 65 finalists selected.
The document said more than ₦2.5 billion had been disbursed to 45 student entrepreneurs, with each receiving up to ₦50 million.
T. Technical and Vocational Education and Training
The Federal Ministry of Education’s TVET initiative offers practical skills training through Master 6, Master 12 and technical college pathways.
The programme is designed to link vocational training with certification, employment and entrepreneurship.
The document reported over 2.8 million applicants and 156,446 verified trainees.
It also listed over ₦65.7 billion in stipends and start-up support disbursed to verified trainees, alongside ₦30.2 billion paid to training centres.
U. University Financial Autonomy
The initiative aims to help universities diversify their revenue sources, strengthen governance, commercialise research and reduce reliance on government funding.
Through a partnership with the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation, federal universities are also being supported to establish and strengthen advancement offices to engage alumni, attract philanthropic contributions and develop alternative funding sources.
V. Visibility
The Ministry is improving public access to information on education programmes, institutions and reforms through websites, portals, dashboards and reports.
These include the NESRI website, the National Education Data and Information Portal, the Digital National Education Management Information System, NELFUND’s monthly reports and the Federal Tertiary Institutions Governance Portal.
The document said the governance portal had onboarded 58 of 63 federal universities, 37 of 41 federal polytechnics and 27 of 29 federal colleges of education.
It also said more than four million learners had been assigned Learner National Identification Numbers, against a target of 40 million by 2027.
W. Workforce Expansion
The government is expanding professional training in specialised fields where Nigeria lacks skilled personnel.
Through the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology and Speech Therapy Education, the Ministry is also working to expand degree programmes and strengthen clinical training in the three fields.
X. eXpanding Digital Access
Through the National Education Data Infrastructure, the government said over 40 million learners and 215,000 schools had been mapped to improve education planning.
The document also reported that 16,000 learners had been enrolled in the first cohort of the Digital Technical Academy.
Other interventions include the deployment of 1,000 smart boards across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as the onboarding of 111 tertiary institutions onto AWS Academy.
Y. Youth Entrepreneurship
Through the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Business Incubation Certification programme, the government is integrating entrepreneurship and innovation into tertiary education.
The programme is currently running in 14 federal universities to equip students with business skills and help them turn ideas into viable ventures.
Z. Zero-Rated Education
The Federal Ministry of Education is working with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and other partners to make approved educational platforms accessible at reduced or no data cost.
Through the Education Internet Exchange Point (EIEP), learners and institutions are also expected to access educational materials and digital resources free of charge or at reduced cost.
The government’s most financially prominent measure is the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
The document says 1,659,853 applications have been processed, with ₦192.89 billion paid towards institutional fees, ₦179.73 billion disbursed as upkeep allowances and ₦372.62 billion in total reported disbursements across 319 beneficiary institutions.
Technical and vocational training is a central plank of the agenda.
The Ministry reported more than 2.8 million applications and 156,446 verified trainees under its TVET pathways, along with more than ₦65.7 billion in stipends and start-up support for trainees and ₦30.2 billion paid to training centres.
The government also says it has reintegrated more than one million out-of-school children, established 200 bilingual learning centres and trained 1,400 Tsangaya teachers.
For girls, it reported 7.19 million beneficiaries of direct interventions across 21 AGILE states and 3.7 million girls enrolled in junior and senior secondary schools.
At the tertiary level, the Ministry cited a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities that includes a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration, revised allowances and provisions for earned academic allowances.
It also reported ₦28 billion disbursed to 15,000 academic and non-academic staff across 153 public tertiary institutions under a staff support fund offering up to ₦10 million per person.
Teacher development initiatives include EduRevamp, with 53,553 registered teachers, and the Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway (ATPP), with 51,794 first-cohort registrations.
The document says the programme involves a ₦2 billion investment and aims to reach 250,000 teachers by 2027.
Medical education expansion is another priority: annual nursing enrolment rose from 28,000 to 115,000, medical and dental enrolment from 5,000 to 12,000, and pharmacy enrolment from 3,644 to 7,419, according to the Ministry.
It also cited a ₦110 billion intervention to rehabilitate 24 medical schools.
The government reported solar mini-grids in 37 federal universities and seven teaching hospitals, plus compressed-natural-gas refuelling stations at 20 federal and state universities.
Its education-data infrastructure has mapped more than 40 million learners and 215,000 schools, while more than four million learners have been assigned Learner National Identification Numbers against a 40 million target for 2027.
The Ministry’s figures describe reported programme activity and targets rather than independently audited outcomes; Alausa has previously said NESRI’s success should be judged by tangible improvements in schools rather than the number of programmes launched.
