The Federal Government has upgraded 38 federal and state technical colleges to equip young Nigerians with globally competitive skills.
Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa disclosed this on Monday during the 2025 Quarterly Citizens and Stakeholders Engagement on the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), held in Abuja.
According to him, the reforms are geared towards shifting the country’s education system from theory-based to skill-based, aligning it with the demands of a knowledge-driven economy.
He revealed that the government has introduced a dual-training model in technical colleges, where students will spend 80% of their time on practical training and 20% in the classroom.
“Artisans will be paid to mentor trainees, establishing a new value chain in the education sector.
We aim to train 5 million young Nigerians with globally relevant skills within four years,” Alausa stated.
He further explained that NESRI is designed to tackle issues around the sector’s access, quality, inclusivity, research, and professional development.
On current challenges, Alausa highlighted the alarming number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
He said over 15 million children are currently out of school, while more than 45 million are considered learning poor. He added that adolescent girls, especially the 6 million between the ages of 12 and 19 who are not in school, are a major focus of the ongoing reforms.
As part of plans to improve credibility in assessments, Alausa also announced that the National Examinations Council (NECO) and West African Examinations Council (WAEC) will start conducting computer-based tests (CBT) by November 2025. He added that all national examinations, including JAMB, will be digitised by 2027.
“The move is to tackle examination fraud and enhance integrity,” he said.
Also speaking, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, stressed the importance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in closing Nigeria’s skills gap.
“We have seen companies hiring 60 per cent of their workforce from abroad. That must change,” she said.
Senator Muntari Dandutse, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund expressed support for the reforms, describing education as “the heart of national transformation.”
