The Federal Government has launched the Basic Education Transformation Agenda, a comprehensive reform package designed to boost school enrollment and improve learning outcomes nationwide.
Unveiling the initiative in Abuja at the weekend, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said BETA introduces Conditional Cash Transfers to mothers to encourage consistent school attendance.
“The initiative ties conditional cash transfers to mothers to encourage school attendance and introduces a Back2School Drive in partnership with the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, under which the government bears the full cost of enrollment during official handovers,” Alausa explained.
He said the programme targets chronic challenges in the sector, including out-of-school children, weak technical training, poor infrastructure, outdated curricula, and low teacher capacity.
Alausa highlighted teacher retraining as central to the reforms, disclosing that five million youths will be trained within four years.
Already, 270 technical teachers have been equipped with digital and trade-specific skills in Ibadan, while 6,000 senior secondary school teachers are undergoing training in artificial intelligence.
The minister noted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had approved N120bn for the advancement of Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
Starting from the 2025/2026 academic session, students in federal and state technical colleges will enjoy free tuition, feeding, boarding, uniforms, and protective gear, as well as a N22,500 monthly stipend.
“The training model will be 80 percent practical and 20 percent theoretical, with certified trainers and strong industry linkages through internships,” Alausa said.
He further disclosed that N80bn has been earmarked for the rehabilitation of unity schools, while 38 federal and state technical colleges are undergoing full modernisation.
To align higher education with manpower needs in health, energy, and technology, the government has also introduced the STEMM Nigeria Agenda covering Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medical Sciences.
A STEMM Up Grant of up to N50m will be available to support undergraduate-led innovations across universities.
On curriculum reform, Alausa announced that basic education content has been updated to reflect 21st-century demands, with a focus on critical thinking, digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and civic responsibility. “Civic education is now mainstreamed from basic to post-basic levels,” he said.
He also revealed increases in annual scholarship grants: N750,000 for PhD students, N600,000 for Master’s, and N450,000 for undergraduates, representing a 50 percent upward review.
On funding, Alausa gave an update on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, noting that N77bn has already been disbursed to 396,000 students across 210 institutions.
He also announced the creation of a N10bn Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund and the release of N50bn in June 2025 for long-outstanding Earned Academic Allowances.
With respect to the Universal Basic Education Commission, Alausa said more state governments had been encouraged to provide matching funds to access intervention resources. “As of mid-2025, 27 states and the FCT had accessed N78.6bn, representing a 65 percent increase over previous years,” he said.
The minister also unveiled measures to protect vulnerable groups, including a national anti-bullying policy, expanded nutrition and school feeding programmes, health insurance for Almajiri children tied to enrollment, and girl-focused projects such as the Learning Under the Mango Initiative and the AGILE project.
On international partnerships, Alausa pointed to a €38m ICT development project funded by the French Development Agency across 10 Nigerian universities, aimed at strengthening hybrid learning, digital infrastructure, and education data systems.
“The era of piecemeal responses to education is over. We are cleaning up the system, restoring standards, and preparing Nigerian children to compete and thrive globally,” the minister said.
