Tinubu’s educational reforms return over 1m children to classrooms – Dele Alake

President Bola Tinubu’s ongoing reforms in the education sector have successfully returned over one million out-of-school children to the classroom. The interventions have also stabilized the academic calendar across higher institutions in Nigeria and expanded general access to learning.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development and APC Presidential Campaign Council Spokesperson, Dele Alake, revealed this in a statement on Wednesday.

Alake, while making reference to the Federal Ministry of Education’s Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) 2026 report, stated that the government allocated a record ₦3.52 trillion to education in the 2026 budget to fund six priority areas.

According to the statement, the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programme facilitated the return of the out-of-school pupils and established 200 bilingual centres across 17 northern states.

The government also secured $552 million for the HOPE-EDU programme, which directly targets 29 million children and over 500,000 public school teachers.

At the tertiary level, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has processed over 1.6 million applications, disbursing ₦372.62 billion for tuition and student upkeep allowances. The administration also resolved the lingering dispute with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) by implementing an agreed 40 percent increase in academic staff remuneration alongside improved welfare benefits.

To boost vocational skills and curriculum standards, a revised national curriculum has officially reintroduced Nigerian History and Heritage Studies. Simultaneously, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) scheme has delivered free training, monthly stipends, and start-up support to 156,446 verified trainees.

The reforms also prioritize healthcare and science development, injecting ₦110 billion into the rehabilitation of 18 federal medical schools across the six geopolitical zones.

Speaking on the impact of the initiatives, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring the policies translate to tangible results for citizens.

“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.”