Tinubu Reforms Return One Million Children to School – APC

More than one million out-of-school children have returned to classrooms through education reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, according to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

APC Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson Dele Alake disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the reforms had also widened access to education, improved teachers’ welfare and helped stabilise academic activities in tertiary institutions.

Citing the Federal Ministry of Education’s Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) 2026 report, Alake said the interventions cover basic and secondary education, technical and vocational training, and higher education.

He identified six priority areas of the reforms as technical and vocational education, science and medical sciences, out-of-school children, girl-child education, digitalisation and quality assurance.

The NESRI report put the 2026 education budget allocation at a record ₦3.52 trillion. It also disclosed that the government had secured $552 million for the HOPE-EDU programme, which is designed to support 29 million children, more than 500,000 teachers and 65,000 public schools.

The Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programme has brought more than one million out-of-school children back into education, trained 1,400 Tsangaya teachers and established 200 bilingual learning centres across 17 northern states.

The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) has also reached 7.19 million girls, including 3.7 million enrolled in secondary schools. More than 10,000 schools have benefited from infrastructure improvements under the programme.

The administration has revised the national curriculum to reintroduce Nigerian History and strengthen the teaching of Civic and Heritage Studies. The National Learning Assessment has also been restored to evaluate pupils’ performance and identify gaps in learning.

Under the EduRevamp programme, 53,553 teachers have registered, while 51,794 participated in the first batch of the Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway (ATPP).

The six-month initiative provides professional qualifications, certification and licensing for teachers. With ₦2 billion in funding, it aims to cover 250,000 teachers by 2027.

Alake, who also serves as Minister of Solid Minerals Development, said the Inspire Live initiative delivers online lessons for pupils from Primary One to Senior Secondary School Three, with support from certified teachers and artificial intelligence-assisted learning.

The Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme has received more than 2.8 million applications, with 156,446 applicants verified as beneficiaries.

The participants receive free training, monthly stipends and start-up support. The government has disbursed more than ₦65.7 billion to trainees and another ₦30.2 billion to training centres.

The administration has also renovated 38 technical colleges and introduced free technical education, covering tuition, accommodation, textbooks and uniforms.

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has processed 1,659,853 student loan applications and disbursed ₦372.62 billion to beneficiaries in 319 tertiary institutions.

The amount comprises ₦192.89 billion for tuition fees and ₦179.73 billion for students’ upkeep allowances.

Alake also highlighted the resolution of the long-running dispute between the government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), as well as the implementation of an agreement providing a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration and improved welfare benefits.

The Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund has also provided ₦28 billion to 15,000 workers across 153 public institutions. Eligible staff can access loans of up to ₦10 million to cover housing, healthcare, transportation and education expenses.

The Nigerian Government is committing ₦110 billion to the rehabilitation of 18 federal medical schools across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

Nursing enrolment increased from 81,480 in 2023 to 114,300 in 2025, according to Alake.

The government has also approved 20 tertiary institutions focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM), while 12 engineering and technology faculties have been selected for rehabilitation.

The government has allocated ₦365 million annually to support research and innovation through the National Laureate Prize.

The Student Venture Capital Grant has also provided more than ₦2.5 billion to 45 student entrepreneurs, with each beneficiary eligible for up to ₦50 million in equity-free funding.

Entrepreneurship certification programmes are ongoing in 14 federal universities. Meanwhile, the Diaspora BRIDGE initiative has registered 1,141 Nigerian experts living abroad and reached 16,675 students across 107 tertiary institutions.

Commenting on the reforms, Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa said their success should be judged by the improvements they bring to students, teachers and educational institutions, rather than the amount of funding or the number of programmes introduced.

He said the government’s priority was to ensure that its interventions produced tangible benefits for learners, educators and institutions.