The Minister of Education, Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has outlined strategies by President Bola Tinubu’s administration aimed at significantly reducing the estimated 15 million out-of-school children in Nigeria.
Speaking during a ministerial press briefing in Abuja, Alausa highlighted federal initiatives, including Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and programs to boost education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
He stated that President Tinubu approved substantial funding to facilitate extensive developmental efforts within the education sector.
According to Alausa, the government’s ambitious goals between 2025 and 2027 include the rehabilitation of 195,000 classrooms, installation of 28,000 toilets, construction of 22,900 boreholes, 14,700 school fences, provision of 1.68 million pieces of school furniture, building 7,700 new schools, supplying 103 million textbooks, and distributing two million teaching aids.
He noted that reforms through the Universal Basic Education Commission aim to enroll 650,000 students into TVET programs and reduce the out-of-school population by 10 million.
Further, the minister emphasized the commitment made by the Federal Government through the Nigeria Student Loan program to assist citizens in accessing tertiary education.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a firm believer in human capital development. Education is human capital development.
“We will incentivize our youths to acquire technical education.
“We are focusing on practical training. Sponsor our citizen to artisan training and craft.
“The President Bola Ahmed has given enough budget for education to achieve the agenda,” he said.
The 2025 national budget of N54.9 trillion allocated N5.7 trillion to education, healthcare, and skills development, marking a significant increase of 161 percent from the previous year’s allocation of N2.18 trillion.
