The federal government has intensified efforts to reposition Nigeria’s education sector, unveiling sweeping reform gains and a bold financing strategy, including plans to secure an additional $500 million from a proposed $11.5 billion global education fund.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday at the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) and Global Partnership for Education (GPE) CEO Breakfast Meeting held in Lagos, where top private sector leaders and development partners gathered to align investments with the government’s reform agenda.
Alausa said the global replenishment initiative, expected to raise $11.5 billion to support foundational learning across 80 countries, presents a major opportunity for Nigeria to deepen ongoing reforms.
“As part of this conference cycle, if everything goes well, Nigeria will benefit from another $500 million to support our foundational education,” he said.
He stressed that education remains the most strategic investment for national growth, noting that increased funding yields significant economic returns.
“Investment in education is the best investment that gets the highest return. For every one per cent increase in spending, productivity rises by six per cent. Every additional year of schooling leads to about a 5.7 per cent increase in earnings, even higher for women,” he added.
Providing a progress report, the minister revealed that over 1.1 million out-of-school children had been reintegrated into classrooms within the past year, describing it as a significant milestone.
“In the last 24 months, we’ve been able to move well over 1.1 million children from the streets back to school,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that the country still faces a deep-rooted education crisis, with approximately 15 million children out of school.
“Today, we still have about 15 million out-of-school children in our country, with a high concentration in the North-east and North-west,” he added.
Alausa also highlighted the alarming rate of learning poverty, explaining that millions of children were unable to read age-appropriate texts by the age of 10.
A major concern raised by the minister was the sharp drop in enrolment between primary and junior secondary education, which he attributed largely to inadequate infrastructure.
“Today, we have about 32 million children in primary schools, but when you move to junior secondary school, you find only about six million. There’s a drop-off of almost 22 million children,” he said.
He explained that the disparity was driven by the limited number of junior secondary schools compared to primary schools nationwide.
“We have about 78,000 primary schools, but only about 9,000 junior secondary schools. That tells you clearly that access is a major issue,” he stated.
To tackle infrastructure deficits and improve learning conditions, Alausa disclosed that the federal government has earmarked N100 billion for the construction of new student hostels across tertiary institutions.
“This year, we’ll be spending about N100 billion in building new student hostels across universities and polytechnics to expand access and improve learning conditions,” he said.
He added that additional investments are being channelled into rehabilitating engineering workshops, medical schools, and technical institutions to boost capacity in critical sectors.
“We are investing heavily in STEM and technical education because that is where the future lies,” he noted.
On basic education financing, the minister said reforms have significantly improved access to Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) matching grants by state governments.
“Before we came in, we had almost N240 billion sitting as unaccessed matching grants. Today, through improved collaboration, over N140 billion has been accessed and deployed by states,” he said.
According to him, the funds are being used to build classrooms, provide furniture, and improve sanitation facilities in schools.
He added that the government was also pushing legislative changes to increase UBEC funding.
“We have a bill at the National Assembly to increase UBEC funding from two per cent to four per cent, which will further strengthen foundational education,” he said.
Alausa further revealed that the ministry has deployed a nationwide digital platform to track students across their educational journey, a move aimed at improving planning and reducing dropout rates.
“For the first time in the history of our country, we now have a digital platform where every child can be tracked from primary school through their education journey.
“We know where these children are, and as they drop out, we know the reasons and can intervene accordingly.”
He described the initiative as a game-changer that would enable data-driven policymaking and accountability.
Earlier in her remarks, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, emphasised the need for stronger collaboration with the private sector to achieve large-scale transformation.
“Education remains the cornerstone of national progress, and no nation can achieve sustainable growth without a strong, inclusive, and forward-looking education system,” she said.
She noted that the breakfast meeting was deliberately designed to move beyond dialogue to actionable partnerships.
“This platform is designed to deepen engagement with the private sector, encourage innovative partnerships, and foster collaborative solutions that will accelerate transformation across all levels of education,” she added.
Ahmad also highlighted the role of development partners in supporting reforms.
“The GPE Grant continues to play a pivotal role in advancing Nigeria’s education reform priorities and expanding access to quality education,” she said.
The ministers reiterated that sustainable financing remains central to the success of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), which aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Continuing, Alausa disclosed that new fiscal measures, including a development levy, are being implemented to boost funding for education, with a significant portion earmarked for key agencies in the sector. He also highlighted progress in student financing, noting that over one million students have benefited from government-backed education loans.
Despite the gains, both ministers stressed that the government alone cannot meet the scale of investment required.
“The private sector remains a critical partner in driving innovation, expanding infrastructure, and ensuring that our education system produces globally competitive graduates,” Ahmad said.
Alausa added: “We are building a system that is transparent, accountable, and results-driven, but we need collective action to achieve lasting impact.”
Sunday Ehigiator
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