Education
Education Sector and FG’s Promises
By Jerome-Mario Chijioke Utomi
There are two recent exciting events in the country that provided sidelight to this particular piece. Fortunately, also both are education sector-specific.
First, the recent in Abuja while receiving members of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) led by the Co-Chairs, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Revd. (Dr) Samson Olasupo Ayokunle.
In that meeting, Mr President Muhammadu Buhari among other things stated that the Federal Government remains committed to honouring promises made to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to prevent disruptive strikes, engender uninterrupted academic programmes and improve funding of educational institutions.
The second has to do with another similar decision/pledge by the Federal Government of Nigeria, during the celebration of the International Day of Education, to increase Nigeria’s annual domestic expenditure on education by 50 per cent over the next two years, and by 100 per cent by 2025.
Interestingly, this piece is not the only one that viewed the comments, particularly the second development as a right step taken in the right direction.
Take, as an illustration, a statement issued and signed on Monday by Geoffrey Njoku, UNICEF Communication Specialist in Maiduguri, among other things, which said, “The Nigerian government has committed to increasing funding for education, which is a very important step. Far too many Nigerian children today are not in the classroom and for those who are; far too many are not getting a solid education that can translate into good prospects for their futures. This is a step forward, an increase from 5.7 per cent allocated for 2021, though there is still a long way to go to reach the internationally recommended benchmark that countries spend 15-20 per cent of their national budgets on education”.
The statement added that “at least 10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria, the highest rate in the world. A full one-third of Nigerian children are not in school, and one in five out-of-school children in the world are Nigerian,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.
Essentially, aside from what UNESCO said, there are of course in my view other intrinsic reasons why the latest moves by the Federal Government, if implemented, deserve the commendations of Nigerians.
Chronic perennial underfunding visited on the sector by the past and present administrations have as a consequence impeded public universities lecturers from carrying out scholarly research, truncates academic calendar with strike actions, laced Nigerian universities with dilapidated and overstretched learning facilities with the universities producing graduates devoid of linkage with the manpower demand by the nation’s industrial sector.
Most pathetically, this age-long challenge has in some public institutions of higher learning led to a thoughtless demand for fees of varying amounts/proposed by the school authorities, a development that financially squeezed the life out of the innocent students and their parents while stripping our education process and outcome fairness.
Take as an illustration of underfunding, the Nigerian government’s initial budget for 2020, going by reports, was N10.5 trillion ($25.6 billion) of which N686.8 billion ($1.7 billion) was for education. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this was amended. The overall budget was increased slightly to N10.8 trillion, but that for education fell to N607.7 billion. The allocation to the education of N686.8 billion worked out to 6.5% of the initial 2020 budget. The revised budget of N10.8 trillion meant that education’s share of N607.7 billion then accounted for 5.6% of the total.
According to the country’s budget office, the funding allocated to the basic education commission in 2020, in the initial and amended budgets, are as follows; the initial budget, N137.97 billion ($336.5 million) was allocated to the commission. In the amended budget, the allocation dropped to N79.9 billion ($194.8 million).
Despite these efforts, the budgetary allocation to the education sector for the said year did not scratch the surface of the UNESCO budgetary recommendation to nations, which currently stands at between 20/26%.
The above failure and failing coupled with another mirage of challenges within the sector have rendered the present move by, and celebration of the Federal Government present effort/promise as a new invention which usually comes with opportunities and challenges.
This assertion is predicated on the fact that the challenges confronting the education sector in Nigeria are hydra-headed and go beyond perennial underfunding to include dilapidated learning facilities, overcrowded classes and obsolete policies among others. A case that calls for more work, reforms holistic approach in ways that demand from the Federal Government the urgent need to go beyond this present promise.
Take as another illustration, the Institute for Statistics (UIS), the official statistics agency for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have till, when discontinued publishing these indicators in September 2020, because it had since adopted other indicators, recommended about 58 pupils to every qualified teacher. But that is not the situation in most schools in Nigeria, particularly the state/federal government-owned primary and secondary schools.
More specifically, a visit to the public schools (both primary and secondary) in some Northern and Southern parts of the country not only supports this belief but says something ‘new and different. Even in other Southern states, the situation is not different. In Lagos for example, where there is a huge demand for learning opportunities, the number of students per teacher/per class is far above the UNESCO recommendation. The facts are there and speak for it.
It is also of truth, says a research report, that there are still a huge number of those who are in these schools, but are learning nothing-as schooling does not always lead to learning. In Nigeria, it is finally becoming evident that there are more non-learners in school than out of school.
Presently also, the world is in agreement that it has not been an easy road for the Nigerian education sector. Since May 1999, when democracy re-emerged on the political surface called Nigeria, it has been a tough and tumbles ride. Even the practice of democracy in the country, contrary to earlier beliefs, has not helped to stop the pangs of challenges experienced by Nigerians in the sector.
Both the federal and state governments in Nigeria continue to allow the rate of out of school children, especially in the northern part of Nigeria, to swell in number, even when it is obvious that the streets are known for breeding all forms of criminals and other social misfits who constitute the real threat in the forms of armed robbers; thugs, drunkards, prostitutes and all other social ills that give a bad name to the society, Nigerians are beginning to view Government’s approach to the challenge as not yielding the targeted result.
Just very recently, it was reported that out of the seventeen states in the country with the highest number of out-of-school children, 14 of the states are in the North. The commentary also noted that if the rate of out of school children can be curtailed, it would help check the insecurity that is currently bedevilling parts of the country, and would to a large extent signal goodbye to insecurity threats across the country.
For the recent promises by Federal Government to bear the target fruit, one point we must all bear in mind is that the major problem standing in the way/preventing Nigerians from enjoying piece in the education sector is the government’s progressive non-recognition of the right to education as a human right despite their membership of a number of international conventions, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights where the right is respected.
Utomi Jerome-Mario is the Programme Coordinator (Media and Public Policy), Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), a Lagos-based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). He can be reached via [email protected]/08032725374
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government announces the introduction of a National Textbook Ranking System for Primary, Junior and Senior Secondary Schools across the country as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen quality assurance and standardisation in Nigeria’s education sector.
The development was disclosed in a Monday statement signed by Mrs Folasade Boriowo, the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, noting that the initiative is designed to address the growing proliferation of textbooks in schools and ensure that only high-quality, curriculum-compliant learning materials are approved for classroom use.
The Implementation of the National Textbook Ranking System will commence from the September 2026 academic session, following the establishment of the Standing Subject Committees and completion of the evaluation framework.
The statement disclosed that the Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa, alongside the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suiwaba Sai’d Ahmad, stated that under the new system, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) will continue to exercise its statutory authority to approve textbooks for use in Nigerian schools.
The Ministry explained that the textbooks will now be ranked through a structured national evaluation process to determine the most suitable and highest-quality options for each subject and level of education.
The statement reads, “As part of the reform, NERDC will establish Standing Subject Committees comprising experts in relevant subject areas. These committees will conduct rigorous reviews of textbooks submitted by publishers and evaluate them based on clearly defined academic and pedagogical standards.
“Following this evaluation process, only a limited number of textbooks will be ranked and approved for use in schools for each subject, ensuring improved quality control and consistency in teaching and learning materials across the country.”
The Ministry explained that the introduction of the ranking system is expected to significantly reduce the excessive number of textbooks currently in circulation in many schools, which has often created confusion for teachers, students and parents.
The statement added, “The reform also aims to bring greater transparency, order and quality assurance into the textbook approval process while aligning Nigeria’s education system with international best practices in instructional material standardisation.
“Under the new policy, NERDC will continue its responsibility of licensing textbooks. However, any textbook that is not ranked under the new system will not be permitted for use in Nigerian schools, regardless of prior licensing status.”
The statement further revealed that the Education Ministry will communicate the new ranking policy to teachers and other key stakeholders in the education sector to ensure proper awareness and compliance with the new framework.
The federal government reaffirmed that the reform forms part of broader efforts to strengthen the quality of education delivery, enhance learning outcomes and ensure that Nigerian students are equipped with the best possible learning resources.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The winner of the 2026 African Spelling Bee Championship, Ms Adeolu Oreofe, has been congratulated by President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President described the outstanding achievement of the 14-year-old student as the importance of sustained investment in education, literacy, and youth development.
The student of St. Lawrence Metropolitan College in Ado Ekiti claimed the championship in the Junior Category in Harare, Zimbabwe recently.
She defeated contestants from over 20 African countries to claim the continental crown, which comes with a $5,000 educational scholarship.
She finished second at the 2023 MTN Spelling Bee and the 2024 Ekiti State Spelling Bee. She then placed fifth at the 2025 African Spelling Bee and second at the 2025 Nigeria Spelling Bee, before clinching the first prize this year in the continental championship.
Mr Tinubu applauded Oreofe’s dedication, as well as the unwavering support of parents, teachers, and mentors who contributed to this remarkable success, noting that she did not allow earlier disappointments to deter her from her determination to reach the top.
“I am convinced that this feat not only brings honour to Nigeria on the continental stage but also serves as an inspiration to millions of young Nigerians to pursue excellence in academics and personal development.
“As a government, we will continue to strengthen the education sector by creating opportunities that enable Nigerian youths to compete and excel globally. I wish Miss Oreofe continued success in her future endeavours,” the President further said in the statement by his chief spokesman.
By Adedapo Adesanya
President Bola Tinubu has made new appointments in the country’s educational sector, covering the National Examination Council (NECO), the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE), the Federal Polytechnic in N’yak Shendam, Plateau State, and the National Library of Nigeria, all institutions under the Federal Ministry of Education.
According to a statement on Wednesday, President Tinubu appointed Professor Modupe Adeola Adelabu as Chairman of the Governing Board of NECO, and retained the current registrar, Professor Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi.
The President also appointed Dr Bongfa Binfa as Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, N’yak-Shendam, Plateau State, and renewed the tenure of Professor Chinwe Veronica Anunobi as chief executive of the National Library of Nigeria.
For the chairmanship of the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE), President Tinubu appointed Professor Babatunde Salako.
On April 10, President Tinubu reappointed the incumbent executive secretary, Professor Idris M Bugaje, for a second and final term of five years.
Professor Adelabu, who will chair NECO, is a retired Professor of educational administration who rose through the ranks to full professorship at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
She was a former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State (2013- 2014) and the Chairman of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) between 2018 and 2021.
Professor Babatunde Salako, the new chair of NBTE, is a globally respected researcher with decades of experience in higher education, institutional governance and national policy leadership.
He previously served as the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) from 2016 to 2024, a period during which the institute experienced significant revitalisation, enhanced research governance, expanded international collaborations, and improved infrastructure and research outputs.
Dr Binfa, from Plateau State, succeeds Dr Mukaila Zakari Ya’u, the pioneer Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, N’yak-Shendam, whose tenure expired on March 16, 2026.
President Tinubu approved the appointment of Dr Binfa for a single term of five years, following the conclusion of the process for appointing a new Rector through a public advertisement in national dailies in September 2025.
Dr Binfa holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Mechanical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Before this appointment, Dr Binfa was Deputy Rector (Academic) at the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny. He was also a Lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Federal Polytechnic, Idah.
President Tinubu approved the renewal of the tenure of Professor Chinwe Veronica Anunobi as CEO of the National Library of Nigeria for a final term of five years. She was first appointed on September, 2, 2021.
Since assuming office, she has led several institutional reforms aimed at repositioning the National Library as a modern technology-driven knowledge institution, including the development and operationalisation of the National Repository of Nigeria, the Newspaper and Magazine Locator, the Index and Abstract to Nigerian Newspapers, and the National Virtual Library of Nigeria.
She has also played a strategic role in advancing the long-awaited completion of the National Library Headquarters project and in initiating plans to migrate heritage collections from the 34 state branches to the new headquarters in Abuja.
According to the statement, the President expects that the renewal of her tenure would ensure continuity in the implementation of ongoing reforms, completion of the National Library Headquarters project, and execution of the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan of the institution.
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