The federal government has approved a groundbreaking N120 billion to strengthen technical and vocational education nationwide.
The initiative aims to equip students with essential skills, foster a more skilled workforce, and promote entrepreneurship, aligning with the government’s commitment to economic growth and development.
The minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the approval during the 4th edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing Session in Abuja on Thursday. He also stated the plans to revamp and retrofit dilapidated Almajiri schools.
LEADERSHIP reports that the construction of Almajiri schools began under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in 2012. This was part of efforts to address the educational challenges faced by children in northern Nigeria, especially those in the Almajiri system.
The goal was to provide modern schools offering both Islamic and Western education. However, many of these schools were abandoned or underutilised due to insufficient maintenance and funding.
Alausa explained, “Now, with the 115 schools that they opened, constructed almost 10 years ago, it’s unfortunate that most of those schools are dilapidated and were not put to use.
But we are working with UBEC and the Almajiri Commission to retrofit these schools. The Almajiri Commission will take over these schools and operate them.”
The education minister also said additional funding from UBEC has been allocated to the Almajiri Commission and the Nomadic Education Commission to support these efforts.
Other ministers, including Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, and Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, also attended the session.
In his address, Alausa mentioned that President Bola Tinubu had approved the N120 billion as a startup fund for students‘ entrepreneurial education. “President Tinubu had approved N120 billion as a start-up for students’ entrepreneurial mode,” he stated.
The initiative also focuses on a value chain in technical education, with practical education aimed at training artisans.
He revealed that in line with the government‘s commitment to improving the education sector, there is a clear strategy to increase access, improve quality, and enhance foundational learning.
“Between now and 2027, we will reconstruct 195,000 classrooms across the nation, install 28,000 toilets, 22,900 boreholes, and construct about 7,000 new classrooms. Additionally, we will provide 103 million textbooks to support learning,” he said.
Alausa also addressed the abandoned national library project, revealing that President Tinubu had committed N40 billion to kickstart construction to support academic and research needs.
On polytechnic education, Alausa emphasised the government‘s focus on maintaining vocational and technical training by preventing the conversion of polytechnics into conventional universities. He said the government is working to amend regulations to ensure polytechnics offer dual certificates (ND and B.Tech) to support technical skills development.
He further said the government prioritises the Safe Schools Initiative, which includes a rapid response team to address school security issues, ensuring a safer learning environment for students nationwide.
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