The federal government is pursuing an additional $500 million from a proposed $11.5 billion global education fund to strengthen Nigeria’s foundational education sector.
ENigeria Newspaper gathered this at an announcement made yesterday by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, during the Federal Ministry of Education and Global Partnership for Education (GPE) CEO Breakfast Meeting in Lagos.
“As part of this conference cycle, if everything goes well, Nigeria will benefit from another $500 million to support our foundational education,” Alausa said, noting the opportunity comes amid sweeping reforms to address the country’s education crisis.
Highlighting recent gains, the minister revealed that over 1.1 million out-of-school children were reintegrated into classrooms in the past year.
“In the last 24 months, we’ve been able to move well over 1.1 million children from the streets back to school,” he said. Yet he stressed that challenges remain, with approximately 15 million children still out of school, particularly in the North-east and North-west.
“Today, we have about 32 million children in primary schools, but when you move to junior secondary school, you find only about six million. There’s a drop-off of almost 22 million children. We have about 78,000 primary schools, but only about 9,000 junior secondary schools. That tells you clearly that access is a major issue.”
“This year, we’ll be spending about N100 billion in building new student hostels across universities and polytechnics to expand access and improve learning conditions’, he added.
Alausa said additional investments are being directed toward engineering workshops, medical schools, and technical institutions, with a focus on STEM and technical education.
The minister added that the funds are being used to build classrooms, provide furniture, and improve sanitation facilities. Alausa further noted that a bill is before the National Assembly to raise UBEC funding from two to four per cent, which would further strengthen foundational education.
“For the first time in the history of our country, we now have a digital platform where every child can be tracked from primary school through their education journey. We know where these children are, and as they drop out, we know the reasons and can intervene accordingly,” he added.
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, stressed the importance of collaboration with the private sector and development partners.
“Education remains the cornerstone of national progress, and no nation can achieve sustainable growth without a strong, inclusive, and forward-looking education system. The GPE Grant continues to play a pivotal role in advancing Nigeria’s education reform priorities and expanding access to quality education.”
Both ministers emphasized the need for sustainable financing to ensure the success of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), aligning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
