The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has pledged to reform Nigeria’s tertiary education system to ensure graduates possess essential technical skills.
Speaking at the 2024 TETFund National Research Fair and Exhibition in Abuja, Dr. Alausa announced plans to shift the educational model towards a more practical framework, where “education is 20 per cent theoretical and 80 per cent practical.”
Dr. Alausa criticised the current system, which he said fails to adequately prepare graduates for the workforce.
He emphasised the need for technical and vocational education, stating, “Enough of producing graduates who lack technical skills.”
To address this, the government intends to incentivise enrolment in technical schools by covering tuition and enhancing institutional capacity.
Students in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes will spend the majority of their time engaged in “hands-on apprenticeship” alongside theoretical instruction.
Dr. Alausa also revealed that President Bola Tinubu has approved a N5 billion investment for research in 2024, to be administered through the National Research Fund managed by TETFund.
This initiative aims to foster research in public tertiary institutions to tackle pressing national issues such as youth underemployment, poverty, insecurity, and infrastructure deficiencies.
The Minister highlighted the importance of research and innovation in economic development, noting, “As seen in other countries, economic growth cannot be achieved without leveraging the outcomes of research and technological efforts.”
He further stressed that the synergy among research and innovation agencies would enhance coordination and effectiveness in addressing Nigeria’s challenges.
Dr. Alausa reiterated that the government is committed to ensuring research outputs contribute to national development and to implementing the “Renewed Hope Agenda” through locally developed solutions.
