From ₦372bn student loans to free technical education, 26 Tinubu reforms explained

• President Bola Tinubu's government says it has recorded 26 major reforms and achievements in Nigeria's education sector.

• The initiatives cover student loans, free technical education, teacher training, digital learning, university funding and support for student entrepreneurs.

• Education Minister Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa says the reforms aim to improve access, affordability and the quality of education across Nigeria.

From ₦372 billion in student loans and free technical education to grants of up to ₦50 million for student entrepreneurs, President Bola Tinubu's government says it has recorded 26 major reforms in Nigeria's education sector.

Education Minister Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa highlighted the initiatives in a document titled From Reform to Results, published on the Federal Ministry of Education's Edu4PBAT website.

The reforms cover student funding, teachers' welfare, university education, vocational training and efforts to bring out-of-school children back to classrooms. Here are the 26 initiatives and what the government says it has achieved.

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1. A- ASUU agreement: The government says it reached a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), providing a 40% increase in academic staff remuneration and addressing longstanding welfare disputes.

2. B- Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA): More than one million out-of-school children have reportedly been returned to classrooms. The programme also covers 17 northern states, with 1,400 Tsangaya teachers trained and 200 bilingual learning centres established.

3. C- Campus Mobility Initiative: The government has deployed 780 electric tricycles to improve transportation within tertiary institutions.

4. D- Diaspora BRIDGE: The initiative connects Nigerian professionals abroad with local universities to support teaching and research. The ministry reports 1,141 registered experts.

5. E- Empowering Educators: A total of 53,553 teachers have registered on EduRevamp, while 51,794 joined the first cohort of the ₦2 billion Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway. The target is 250,000 teachers by 2027.

6. F- Free Technical Education: The government says it has rehabilitated 38 federal and state technical colleges. Students in participating institutions receive free tuition, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.

7. G- Girl-Child Education (AGILE): The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment aims to improve girls' access to education. The programme has received more than $1.2 billion in World Bank investment.

8. H- HOPE Education: The government secured $552 million in funding for foundational education through the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) programme.

9. I- Inspire Live!: The digital learning initiative provides online lessons and educational resources to pupils. The ministry reports more than 300,000 learners on the platform.

10. J- JAMB Admissions Reform: The government says it has removed UTME requirements for admission into certain National Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes.

11. K- Knowledge Economy: The initiative promotes research, innovation and collaboration between universities and industries. The ministry also highlights a partnership with the Nigerian Higher Education Foundation to establish university advancement offices.

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12. L- National Learning Assessment: The government has reintroduced national assessments to monitor pupils' performance, restored History to the national curriculum and introduced a National Laureate Prize with ₦365 million in annual awards.

13. M- Medical Education Expansion: Annual nursing admission capacity has increased from 28,000 to 115,000, while medical and dental places rose from 5,000 to 12,000.

Pharmacy admission capacity also increased from 3,644 to 7,419. The government is investing ₦110 billion in rehabilitating 24 medical schools.

14. N- Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND): The government reports that ₦372.62 billion has been disbursed in interest-free student loans to cover institutional fees and upkeep.

15. O- Out-of-School Children and Almajiri Education: More than one million children have reportedly been reintegrated into classrooms. The initiative has also trained 1,400 Tsangaya teachers and established 200 bilingual centres to improve Almajiri education.

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16. P- Prioritising Educators’ Welfare (TISSF) Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund : The ministry reports that ₦28 billion in zero-interest financial support has been provided to 15,000 tertiary institution workers.

17. Q- Quality Assurance: The reforms cover improved teacher training, curriculum development, school safety and efforts to raise teaching and learning standards across Nigerian schools.

18. R- Renewable Energy for Education: Thirty-seven federal universities have reportedly been powered by solar mini-grids, while 20 universities have CNG refuelling stations under the Renewed Hope Energising Education Programme.

19. S- Student Venture Capital Grant: Forty-five student-owned businesses have received more than ₦2.5 billion in equity-free grants, with individual awards of up to ₦50 million.

20. T- Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET): More than 2.8 million Nigerians applied for the skills programme, with 156,446 verified trainees receiving training. The government reports ₦65.7 billion in stipends and start-up support.

21. U- University Financial Autonomy: The reform focuses on giving universities greater control over their finances and administration to improve institutional independence and management.

22. V- Visibility: The ministry is working to improve transparency and access to education-sector information through better data collection and reporting.

23. W- Workforce Expansion: The government says it is expanding specialist training, including degree programmes in more than five health professions, to address shortages of skilled professionals.

24. X- eXpanding Digital Access: More than 40 million learners have been mapped through the Nigeria Education Data Initiative, over 215,000 schools geo-tagged and 1,000 smart boards deployed across the 36 states and FCT. Another 111 tertiary institutions have joined AWS Academy.

25. Y- Youth Entrepreneurship (EIBIC): The entrepreneurship certification and business incubation programme is being implemented in 14 federal universities to help students develop business and innovation skills.

26. Z- Zero-Rated Education: The ministry is partnering with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to make approved educational platforms accessible without data charges, reducing the cost of digital learning.

The initiatives cover different levels of the education system, from basic education and secondary school to technical colleges and universities.

They also include programmes that directly target students, teachers, researchers and young entrepreneurs.

However, there is a difference between introducing a programme, allocating money to it and achieving measurable results. 

For instance, the number of people who applied for a government programme does not necessarily represent the number who have received its benefits.

The details of this article are based on the Federal Ministry of Education's Edu4PBAT platform, which says its figures cover policies, programmes and reported achievements between November 2024 and October 2026.