Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has defended a series of significant reforms introduced by the Federal government, explaining them as part of a broad national effort to reposition education as the structure of economic change, skills advancement and national competitiveness.
Speaking throughout a telecasted individually interview monitored by Edugist, the Minister attended to a vast array of problems consisting of the removal of UTME requirements for some tertiary programmes, the future of teacher education, out-of-school children, technical and vocational training, infrastructure funding, student migration, and government financial investments in research and development.
The interview comes amid growing national conversations around access to higher education, the quality of learning, instructor shortages, youth unemployment and the future direction of Nigeria’s education system.
According to the Minister, a lot of the recent reforms are driven by information and aimed at broadening access while aligning education more carefully with nationwide economic concerns.
Education is at the centerpiece of national advancement,” he said. “We are utilizing education as the bedrock of constructing the next labour swimming pool that will serve this country.
UTME Exemption for Colleges of Education and Some Agricultural Programmes
Among the most significant statements from the interview was the Federal Government’s decision to exempt candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education from sitting for the Unified Tertiary Enlisting Assessment (UTME).
The exemption likewise uses to prospects pursuing non-technology farming and agriculture-related programmes in polytechnics and monotechnics.
The Minister explained that the move was not just because of decreasing enrolment however part of a more comprehensive effort to get rid of barriers preventing young Nigerians from accessing tertiary education.
He cited federal government information revealing low interest in Colleges of Education and some polytechnic programmes.
According to him:
- Nigeria currently has about 255 Colleges of Education.
- About 214 of them reportedly taped fewer than 100 first-choice applicants.
- The nation also has more than 770 polytechnics and monotechnics.
- Hundreds reportedly received fewer than 100 first-choice applications.
The Minister argued that maintaining limiting admission structures in the face of such realities might intensify youth exclusion and deepen the nation’s instructional obstacles.
“We have these schools, we have this facilities, however these young people do not want to go there,” he said.
Federal Colleges of Education Now Running “Double Required”
The Minister also highlighted what he described as one of the most transformative reforms in instructor education over the last few years– the intro of the “double mandate” system for Federal Colleges of Education.
Under the plan:
- Trainees confessed into Colleges of Education can make an NCE qualification after 3 years.
- Those who fulfill the needed O’Level conditions can continue for an additional 2 years.
- At the end of 5 years, they finish with both an NCE and a Bachelor of Education degree.
The Minister disclosed that the reform began in federal institutions in 2015 and has actually already added to a significant increase in enrolment.
He said many state federal governments are likewise modifying their laws to embrace the model.
According to him, the objective is not only to improve access but likewise to produce a more powerful pool of extremely qualified instructors.
AI, Engineering and Computer Technology Introduced into Instructor Training
As part of broader curriculum reforms, the Minister revealed that Colleges of Education will now use programmes such as:
- Expert System and Education
- Computer Science and Education
- Engineering and Education
The programmes are expected to commence completely from the 2026 academic session.
The government states the relocation is focused on modernising teacher preparation and guaranteeing graduates are equipped for both mentor and broader career opportunities.
“We are broadening opportunities while training extremely certified instructors,” the Minister said.
Admission Rules Unwinded to Expand Access
The Minister likewise safeguarded earlier reforms to O’Level admission requirements.
According to him, the Federal government examined some enduring entry restrictions that had avoided competent trainees from getting admission into tertiary organizations.
He cited examples where prospects seeking admission into Law or Arts programs were previously needed to have credits in Mathematics, while science candidates were required to have English credits regardless of course-specific truths.
Following adjustments to those requirements, the Minister said admissions increased considerably.
According to figures he shared:
- Nigeria traditionally admitted about 770,000 candidates yearly from over 2 million UTME applicants.
- After the reforms, admissions apparently rose to about 1.1 million.
- The latest UTME exemptions might push admission numbers even greater.
The Minister argued that the nation needs to focus on expanding access while maintaining quality assurance systems.
University Admission Age Still 16
Attending to controversies around admission age, the Minister clarified that the official university admission age remains 16 years.
However, he specified that exceptionally gifted trainees listed below the age threshold might still be thought about under more stringent assessment treatments.
According to him, previous loopholes had actually been abused by some moms and dads.
He disclosed that out of roughly 48,000 underage prospects reportedly provided as gifted students, only 87 eventually passed the needed screening procedure.
“We Are Not About Policy Summersaults”
Reacting to issues about frequent policy changes in the education sector, the Minister declined ideas that the government was developing confusion.
Rather, he explained the administration’s method as implementation-focused.
“We are not about creating brand-new policies. We are implementing policies,” he stated.
He added that much of the recent choices were based upon data analysis instead of abstract policymaking.
Enormous Push for Technical and Vocational Education
The interview likewise featured substantial conversation around Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), which the Minister referred to as a major pillar of the government’s education method.
According to him:
- Federal technical colleges are now tuition-free.
- Trainees receive stipends.
- The Federal government has adopted one technical college in each state and the FCT.
- About 160,000 Nigerians are apparently currently going through training throughout roughly 1,200 centres.
The Minister said over 1.3 million Nigerians made an application for the programme.
He added that the government has devoted substantial funding to support trade education and abilities advancement.
The administration’s broader goal, he discussed, is to produce entrepreneurs and experienced workers instead of graduates dependent exclusively on white-collar employment.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programmes Presented
The Minister also announced the rollout of entrepreneurship, innovation and service incubation initiatives across tertiary institutions.
Beginning with a preliminary mate of universities, the program is expected to integrate entrepreneurship training directly into trainees’ academic experience.
According to him, the intent is to help students establish enterprise and development skills before graduation.
Federal Government Protects Facilities Spending
The Minister strongly safeguarded the federal government’s infrastructure investments in education.
He divulged that:
- 18 medical schools across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones apparently received rehab funding.
- Universities got assistance for labs, workshops and hostels.
- New simulation laboratories are being established.
- Billions of naira are being bought engineering and technology labs.
- Additional funds are being allocated for student accommodation.
The Minister firmly insisted that monitoring systems remain in place to ensure accountability.
He discussed that tasks are subjected to several layers of oversight, including institutional monitoring, ministerial supervision and independent consultants.
He likewise referenced the advancement of digital monitoring dashboards for education tasks.
Out-of-School Kid: Government Disputes 18.3 Million Figure
One of the most contentious parts of the interview centered on Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis.
The Minister challenged the commonly pointed out figure of 18.3 million out-of-school children often referenced by UNICEF and other worldwide organisations.
According to him, the Federal government is carrying out state-by-state data mapping exercises to develop more accurate numbers.
He exposed that:
- More than one million kids have apparently been gone back to school in the last 30 months.
- Information mapping exercises are ongoing in multiple states.
- Kaduna State’s mapping workout apparently decreased approximated figures from 1.8 million to around 700,000.
Based upon initial findings, the Minister declared Nigeria might currently have fewer than 8 million out-of-school children.
Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the figure remains unacceptably high.
New School Feeding and Independent School Collaboration Plans
To deal with the out-of-school crisis, the Minister divulged that the government is developing:
- Expanded school feeding programmes
- Collaborations with private schools to soak up vulnerable kids
- Technology-driven monitoring systems
- More comprehensive partnership with state governments
According to him, the federal government intends to fund some private schools on a per-child basis to support enrolment growth.
He also said discussions are ongoing around a wider national school feeding structure connected to enrolment and retention.
Partnership with State Federal Governments
The Minister acknowledged that standard education falls mainly under the jurisdiction of state governments however insisted that more powerful partnership now exists in between federal and subnational authorities.
He cited examples of facilities advancement and education expansion in states such as Borno, Lagos, Kaduna and Katsina.
According to him, many guvs are increasing investments in school infrastructure, wise schools and mega education tasks.
STEM and Knowledge Economy Vision
When inquired about the administration’s long-term education vision, the Minister said the government’s focus is to transition Nigeria from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based economy.
He determined STEMM– Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical Sciences– as a core top priority.
The federal government, he stated, is investing heavily in laboratories, engineering facilities and research study support to reinforce these areas.
Government Claims “Japa” Trend Is Slowing
The Minister likewise reacted to issues about growing outgoing trainee migration.
While acknowledging Nigeria’s high worldwide trainee movement figures, he argued that the pattern is starting to slow as self-confidence in Nigerian universities enhances.
According to him, aspects such as enhanced scholastic stability, facilities financial investments and reforms are assisting to keep more trainees within the nation.
He pointed to programmes such as JUPEB and increased demand for top Nigerian universities as signs of renewed confidence in regional institutions.
Bilateral Education Scholarships Under Evaluation
The Minister also protected the federal government’s choice to suspend elements of the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship plan.
He explained parts of the program as economically ineffective and open up to abuse.
According to him, some recipients were being sponsored to study courses abroad that could currently be studied efficiently within Nigeria.
Nevertheless, he ensured that existing obligations to existing scholarship beneficiaries would be honoured.
He revealed that:
- About N4 billion has already been paid.
- Extra payments are expected in the coming weeks.
Growing Expectations for Delivery
The interview showed the growing pressure on Nigeria’s education authorities to provide measurable improvements across the sector.
While the Minister safeguarded the administration’s record and insisted reforms are producing results, concerns remain around facilities gaps, learning quality, teacher scarcities, funding sustainability and the consistent out-of-school kids crisis.
A number of the reforms revealed– especially around admissions, instructor education and technical training– are most likely to form nationwide dispute in the coming months.
For stakeholders across the sector, the larger question might now be whether application can match the scale of ambition being forecasted.
As Nigeria continues to grapple with unemployment, population development, skills scarcities and expanding instructional inequality, the effectiveness of these reforms could have long-lasting ramifications not just for schools and universities, but for the country’s broader social and financial future.