The Federal Government has upgraded 38 federal and state technical colleges as part of a comprehensive effort to equip Nigerian youth with globally competitive skills.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, made the announcement during the 2025 Quarterly Citizens and Stakeholders Engagement on the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) in Abuja on Monday.
According to Alausa, the initiative seeks to transform Nigeria’s education system into one that prioritises skills and knowledge for an economy driven by expertise.
He revealed that a dual-training model has been introduced in the technical colleges, allowing students to spend 80 per cent of their time in practical training and 20 per cent in the classroom.
“Artisans will be compensated to mentor trainees, creating a new value chain within the education sector,” he said.
“Our goal is to train 5 million young Nigerians with internationally relevant skills within four years,” Alausa stated.
He also mentioned that NESRI addresses concerns surrounding access, quality, inclusivity, research, and professional development within the educational system.
Addressing the current challenges, Alausa noted that Nigeria has 15 million out-of-school children and more than 45 million individuals classified as learning poor.
He highlighted that adolescent girls, particularly the 6 million aged 12 to 19 who are currently out of school, remain a central focus of the reforms.
Alausa further announced that the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) would begin computer-based testing (CBT) in November 2025, with full digitalisation of all national examinations, including the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exams, set for 2027. This initiative aims to combat examination fraud and improve integrity.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, stressed the importance of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in addressing Nigeria’s skills gap and reducing the country’s reliance on foreign workers.
“We have seen companies hiring 60 per cent of their workforce from abroad. That must change,” she noted.
Sen. Muntari Dandutse, Chair of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, expressed legislative support for the reforms, emphasising that education is the “heart of national transformation.”
(NAN)