The federal authorities mentioned it had returned multiple million out-of-school kids to the classroom within the final 20 months. Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this in Abuja when he acquired the newly appointed United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural (*20*)(UNESCO) Country Representative to Nigeria, Professor Isaiah Barreto DaRosa, who was on a courtesy go to.
Separately, Alausa charged Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian public universities to urgently diversify funding sources and strengthen development workplaces.
He warned that authorities allocations alone couldn’t maintain tertiary establishments.
Alausa gave the directive on the National Advancement Forum 2026 in Abuja.
He expressed concern that solely 4 out of 68 federal universities had been at the moment making significant use of other funding, reminiscent of analysis grants, endowments, alumni giving, philanthropy, and business partnerships.
“Government funding is not enough. Universities live, function and excel on blended funding,” the minister mentioned.
While receiving the newly appointed UNESCO Country Representative to Nigeria, Alausa revealed that almost 6.7 million ladies had benefited from varied authorities interventions designed to enhance entry to schooling and preserve them in class.
He mentioned the achievements had been a part of the federal authorities’s ongoing efforts to overtake the schooling sector.
He pressured that the federal government was decided to shut gaps in entry and enhance the standard of studying.
Alausa, nevertheless, mentioned the federal government couldn’t afford to pay attention its schooling interventions on just one gender.
While acknowledging the progress made in selling girl-child schooling, he additionally known as for elevated consideration to the tutorial wants of boys.
“We must sustain the gains we have made with the girl-child, but we also need to pay attention to the boy-child,” he mentioned.
The minister mentioned Nigeria’s human capital growth would solely be significant if no youngster was left behind, no matter gender or background.
He listed the Federal Ministry of Education’s six precedence areas as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET); Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); reintegration of out-of-school kids, information and digitalisation; girl-child schooling; and high quality assurance.
He mentioned the federal authorities was additionally investing in expertise growth, expertise and trainer coaching as a part of efforts to supply graduates able to competing in a quickly altering financial system.
He said that dependable schooling information was more and more being deployed to establish areas of want, goal authorities interventions, and measure outcomes.
On trainer growth, Alausa welcomed UNESCO’s technical assist for the ministry’s Accelerated Teacher Professional Programme (ATPP) which had a goal of coaching a million in-service lecturers.
He additionally acknowledged UNESCO’s assist in TVET evaluation, digital transformation, schooling for peace, and media and data literacy.
The minister urged UNESCO to align its interventions with the reform priorities of the Nigerian authorities, saying stronger coordination would be certain that technical help interprets into concrete outcomes.
“We want partnerships that complement what Nigeria is already doing and help us deliver faster and better results,” he mentioned.
Alausa assured the UNESCO delegation that the federal authorities would proceed to mix home assets with strategic worldwide partnerships to drive its schooling reforms.
He mentioned the administration’s focus was on increasing entry, enhancing high quality and equipping Nigerian kids and younger folks with the data and expertise wanted to contribute to nationwide growth.
Earlier, the UNESCO Country Representative, Da Rosa, pledged the organisation’s assist for Nigeria’s schooling transformation programme.
He described UNESCO as a technical companion keen to offer experience in areas the place the Nigerian authorities required help.
Da Rosa recalled UNESCO’s longstanding presence in Nigeria relationship again to the Nineteen Sixties, stating that the organisation has supported the nation in schooling, science, tradition, communication and data.
He counseled the ministry’s progress in digitising schooling information, describing correct information as important for efficient planning and coverage implementation.
The UNESCO consultant mentioned the organisation was able to deepen cooperation with Nigeria in TVET, trainer growth and efforts to deliver out-of-school kids again into the classroom.
He disclosed that UNESCO-supported programmes had already skilled greater than 28,000 lecturers throughout totally different states and reached over 1.7 million college students.
Da Rosa added that UNESCO’s specialised institutes remained accessible to offer additional technical assist to Nigeria.
Alausa assured the UNESCO delegation that the administration’s focus remained on increasing entry, enhancing high quality and equipping Nigerian kids and younger folks with the data and expertise wanted to contribute to nationwide growth.
Meanwhile, Alausa urged vice chancellors to maneuver past administering allotted funds to actively constructing relationships with alumni, companies, philanthropists and analysis funders to draw assets for laboratories, scholarships, analysis chairs and innovation programmes.
He said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has met you beyond halfway. He has given you the leverage and the opportunity to do your jobs well. You must now take advantage of it.”
He described the present scenario as “unacceptable.”
The minister pressured that the decision was not a withdrawal of presidency assist.
He mentioned the Tinubu administration at the moment funded personnel prices in full, allowed universities to retain 75 per cent of internally generated income, and continued direct and particular interventions by means of TETFund.
He additionally recalled that Tinubu permitted a framework to maneuver analysis and endowment funds out of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) to business banks of alternative, to offer better flexibility and construct confidence in managing such assets.
To strengthen useful resource mobilisation, Alausa issued instant directives together with, “All University Advancement Offices should report on to the Vice-Chancellor, to not the Registrar.
“Directors of Advancement should have a minimal inside tenure of 5 years, renewable, to construct lasting donor and alumni relationships.
“Advancement Office operation is a professional job.”
He added, “Advancement officers are professional fundraisers who require institutional support, stability and the confidence of university management to deliver results.”
The minister urged universities to develop practical alumni databases and deploy expertise to take care of lifelong relationships with graduates in Nigeria and overseas, describing alumni engagement as a strategic element of institutional development.
Alausa introduced that the ministry, in collaboration with the Nigerian Higher Education Foundation (NHEF), will develop a complete nationwide framework for sustainable financing of tertiary establishments.
The framework will cowl: endowment governance, accountability, analysis grants, Advancement Office buildings, alumni giving, business partnerships, philanthropy incentives, income administration and transparency.
All public universities will probably be progressively on-boarded and anticipated to: construct an endowment, set up an efficient development construction, preserve a practical alumni database, strengthen analysis funding capability, and develop partnerships with business and philanthropists.
“The objective is not to replace government funding or depend solely on internally generated revenue, but to establish diversified and resilient financing systems that complement government support and sustain academic excellence,” the minister clarified.
He assured that the Federal Ministry of Education will proceed to offer coverage path and an enabling setting, whereas anticipating college leaders to take better accountability for mobilising assets.
“Institutions that fail to diversify their funding base risk limiting their capacity for sustained growth, research and academic excellence,” Alausa warned.
Kuni Tyessi
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