By By Elizabeth Ugbo
President Bola Tinubu’s administration has recorded major education reforms since assuming office in May 2023. The Federal Government introduced these initiatives nationwide to improve learning, expand access, support teachers and strengthen educational institutions. The reforms have also delivered ₦372.62 billion in student loans, supported over 156,000 technical trainees and returned more than one million out-of-school children to classrooms.
According to the Federal Ministry of Education’s Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) 2026 report, the interventions cover basic, secondary, technical and tertiary education.
The government focuses on six priority areas. These include technical and vocational education, science and medical sciences, out-of-school children, girl-child education, digitalisation and quality assurance.
FG Allocates ₦3.52 Trillion to Education
The NESRI report revealed that the Federal Government allocated a record ₦3.52 trillion to education in the 2026 budget.
Additionally, Nigeria secured $552 million for the HOPE-EDU programme. The initiative targets 29 million children, over 500,000 teachers and 65,000 public schools.
Meanwhile, the BESDA programme has returned more than one million out-of-school children to learning.
The programme has also trained 1,400 Tsangaya teachers and established 200 bilingual centres across 17 northern states.
Furthermore, the AGILE programme has reached 7.19 million girls. About 3.7 million have enrolled in secondary schools.
Over 10,000 schools have also benefited from improved facilities under the intervention.
Government Introduces Curriculum and Teacher Reforms
The administration has introduced a revised national curriculum to improve learning outcomes.
The new curriculum reintroduces Nigerian History and strengthens Civic and Heritage Studies.
Similarly, the government has restored the National Learning Assessment. The assessment monitors pupils’ performance and identifies learning gaps.
Under EduRevamp, 53,553 teachers have registered for professional development.
Of this number, 51,794 joined the first Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway (ATPP) cohort.
The six-month programme provides professional qualifications, certification and licensing.
With ₦2 billion in funding, the initiative targets 250,000 teachers by 2027.
Additionally, the Inspire Live initiative provides online lessons from Primary One to Senior Secondary School Three.
Certified teachers and artificial intelligence tools support the learning programme.
TVET Programme Records Over 156,000 Trainees
The Federal Government’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme has attracted over 2.8 million applications.
So far, 156,446 verified trainees have received free training, monthly stipends and startup support.
The government has disbursed more than ₦65.7 billion directly to trainees.
It has also released another ₦30.2 billion to training centres.
Furthermore, the administration has rehabilitated 38 technical colleges nationwide.
The government has introduced free technical education covering tuition, accommodation, textbooks and uniforms.
NELFUND Disburses ₦372.62 Billion in Student Loans
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) remains one of the administration’s major education initiatives.
According to the report, the fund has processed 1,659,853 student loan applications.
It has also disbursed ₦372.62 billion across 319 tertiary institutions.
The amount comprises ₦192.89 billion for tuition fees and ₦179.73 billion for students’ upkeep allowances.
Meanwhile, the administration has addressed the long-standing dispute involving the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
It has implemented an agreement that provides a 40 per cent salary increase for academic staff.
The agreement also introduces improved welfare benefits for university lecturers.
Additionally, the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund has disbursed ₦28 billion to 15,000 workers.
The beneficiaries come from 153 public institutions across the country.
Eligible workers can access loans of up to ₦10 million for housing, healthcare, transportation and education.
FG Invests ₦110 Billion in Medical and STEMM Education
The Federal Government is investing ₦110 billion to rehabilitate 18 federal medical schools.
The project covers institutions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Meanwhile, nursing enrolment increased significantly between 2023 and 2025.
The number rose from 81,480 in 2023 to 114,300 in 2025.
Additionally, the government has approved 20 STEM-focused tertiary institutions.
It also plans to rehabilitate 12 engineering and technology faculties.
Government Boosts Research and Student Entrepreneurship
The administration has introduced additional funding to support research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Federal Government provides ₦365 million annually for research through the National Laureate Prize.
Similarly, the Student Venture Capital Grant has disbursed over ₦2.5 billion to 45 student entrepreneurs.
Each beneficiary can access up to ₦50 million in equity-free funding.
Entrepreneurship certification programmes are also ongoing in 14 federal universities.
Furthermore, the Diaspora BRIDGE initiative has registered 1,141 Nigerian experts living abroad.
The initiative has also reached 16,675 students across 107 tertiary institutions.
Education Minister Highlights Impact of Tinubu’s Reforms
Speaking on the achievements, Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, highlighted the importance of measuring education reforms through their impact.
He stressed that funding and programme numbers alone cannot determine the success of government interventions.
“Our measure of success is not merely the amount of money allocated to education or the number of programmes introduced. It is the difference these interventions make in the lives of our children, students, teachers and institutions,” he said.
The minister’s remarks emphasise the administration’s commitment to improving educational opportunities and learning outcomes nationwide.
