President Bola Tinubu’s education reforms have returned more than one million out-of-school children to classrooms, according to figures cited by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The development was announced by Dele Alake, spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, in a statement on Wednesday, November 5, 2026.
Alake said the reforms had also expanded access to education, improved teachers’ welfare and helped stabilise the academic calendar across Nigerian higher institutions.
According to Channels Television, the statement cited the Federal Ministry of Education’s Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) 2026 report.
The report outlined government interventions across basic and secondary education, technical and vocational training, and tertiary education.
Federal Government Allocates ₦3.52tn to Education
Alake said the Federal Government allocated a record ₦3.52 trillion to education in the 2026 budget and secured $552 million for the HOPE-EDU programme.
The programme targets 29 million children, more than 500,000 teachers and 65,000 public schools.
The Basic Education Sector and Skills Development (BESDA) programme has reportedly returned over one million out-of-school children to learning, trained 1,400 Tsangaya teachers and established 200 bilingual centres across 17 northern states.
Meanwhile, the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) programme has reached 7.19 million girls, with 3.7 million enrolled in secondary schools.
More than 10,000 schools have also benefited from improved facilities, according to the report.
Curriculum Changes and Teacher Training
The NESRI report highlighted the introduction of a revised national curriculum that reintroduces Nigerian History and strengthens Civic and Heritage Studies.
The National Learning Assessment has also been restored to monitor pupils’ performance and identify learning gaps.
Under the EduRevamp initiative, 53,553 teachers have registered, while 51,794 joined the first cohort of the Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway (ATPP).
The six-month programme provides professional qualifications, certification and licensing.
Backed by ₦2 billion, it aims to reach 250,000 teachers by 2027.
Alake also highlighted Inspire Live, an online learning initiative offering lessons from Primary One to Senior Secondary School Three, supported by certified teachers and artificial intelligence-assisted learning.
TVET Scheme Attracts 2.8 Million Applications
The government’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) scheme has attracted more than 2.8 million applications, with 156,446 verified trainees receiving free training, monthly stipends and start-up support.
Alake said more than ₦65.7 billion had been disbursed to trainees, while training centres received another ₦30.2 billion.
The government has also rehabilitated 38 technical colleges and introduced free technical education covering tuition, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.
NELFUND Disburses ₦372.62bn in Student Loans
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has processed 1,659,853 student loan applications and disbursed ₦372.62 billion across 319 tertiary institutions.
The disbursement comprises ₦192.89 billion for tuition and ₦179.73 billion for students’ upkeep allowances.
Alake also said the Tinubu administration had resolved the longstanding dispute between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and implemented an agreement providing a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration and improved welfare benefits.
The Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund has reportedly disbursed ₦28 billion to 15,000 workers across 153 public institutions.
Eligible staff can access loans of up to ₦10 million for housing, healthcare, transportation and education.
Government Invests in Medical and STEM Education
The Federal Government is investing ₦110 billion in the rehabilitation of 18 federal medical schools across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
According to Alake, nursing enrolment increased from 81,480 in 2023 to 114,300 in 2025.
The government has also approved 20 STEM-focused tertiary institutions and plans to rehabilitate 12 engineering and technology faculties.
Research and Student Entrepreneurship
The government has provided ₦365 million annually for research and innovation through the National Laureate Prize.
The Student Venture Capital Grant has disbursed more than ₦2.5 billion to 45 student entrepreneurs, with each beneficiary eligible for up to ₦50 million in equity-free funding.
Entrepreneurship certification is ongoing in 14 federal universities.
The Diaspora BRIDGE initiative has also registered 1,141 Nigerian experts abroad, reaching 16,675 students across 107 tertiary institutions.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa said the success of the reforms would ultimately be measured by their impact on students, teachers and institutions.
“Our measure of success is not merely the amount of money allocated to education or the number of programmes introduced. It is the difference these interventions make in the lives of our children, students, teachers and institutions,” he said.
