Tinubu Revolutionizes Education: 38 Technical Colleges Upgraded Nationwide

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has announced a major upgrade of 38 federal and state technical colleges across Nigeria, as part of sweeping reforms aimed at empowering young Nigerians with globally competitive skills.

Speaking at the 2025 Quarterly Citizens and Stakeholders Engagement on the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) in Abuja on Monday, Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa revealed that the upgrades are part of a broader plan to reshape the nation’s education system into a skills-driven, knowledge-based economy.

The engagement highlighted the government’s key strategic priorities, the rollout of innovative programs, and efforts to tackle persistent challenges—especially the crisis of out-of-school children.

Dr. Alausa outlined six core areas of focus in the reform blueprint, including reducing the number of out-of-school girls, improving quality assurance, and expanding access through national interventions. A major highlight is the introduction of a dual-training model in technical schools, where 80% of student time will be devoted to hands-on vocational training, while 20% will focus on theoretical instruction—better preparing graduates for the job market.

NESRI, the flagship of the education reforms, includes initiatives to boost literacy, revamp the curriculum, and digitise education data, all geared toward transitioning Nigeria from a resource-reliant to a knowledge-driven economy.

The minister explained, “We’re creating a new value chain in education where artisans will be paid to train apprentices. Our goal is to equip 5 million Nigerian youths with relevant skills over the next four years.”

Alausa raised alarm over Nigeria’s 15 million out-of-school children and 45 million others classified as learning disadvantaged. Of particular concern are adolescent girls—6 million between the ages of 12 and 19 are currently out of school—making them a focal point of NESRI’s intervention.

To address this, he noted that 25,000 previously excluded children have now been integrated into formal schooling under NESRI, while 4,000 Tsangaya teachers have been trained to support inclusive education.

In a major move toward digitisation, Alausa also announced that the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) will begin computer-based testing by November 2025, with full digital transition for all national exams, including JAMB, expected by 2027. This initiative aims to curb exam malpractice and restore credibility to the evaluation process.