Learn about the new education priorities for Nigeria.
On Monday 5th May 2025, during the Citizens and Stakeholders’ Engagement on the Nigerian Education Sector, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education shared its key areas of focus for educational reform in Nigeria, including:
- reducing the number of out-of-school girls
- improving technical education
- literacy improvement
- data digitization
- curriculum reform.
They also discussed the efforts of the comprehensive framework, Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), which is ‘aimed at transitioning Nigeria from a resource-dependent economy to a knowledge-driven one.’ 1
Out-of-school children
An estimated 15 million Nigerian children are not in school and an additional 45 million are classed as ‘learning poor’. 1r 4,000 Tsangaya teachers have been trained to support inclusive education and 25,000 children have been integrated into education through NESRI so far. Additionally, the LUMINAH programme aims to help 1 million girls complete their education by 2030, with 184,000 already completing digital literacy courses. 2
Technical and digital education
- 650,000 students have been enrolled in TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) programmes.
- Health-related fields have seen a significant increase in student enrollment.
- 3,198 teachers have been trained on the digital quality assurance programme.
- 38 technical colleges have been upgraded. 1, 2
National anti-bullying policy
During the address, they unveiled a new national anti-bullying policy for Nigerian schools. Alongside the policy, the Federal Government has provided detailed guidelines for implementing the new national policy and have formed the National Anti-Bullying Committee. The policy covers physical, verbal, psychological and cyber bullying and is designed to ‘ensure all students are treated with dignity and can learn in a safe environment.’ The Minister for State Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed shared that the policy is clear on the roles of all stakeholders in schools (including school leaders, teachers, parents, students and wider communities) and that the policy ‘marks the beginning of a nationwide movement toward inclusive and nurturing educational spaces.’ 2
Learn more about the Nigerian education reforms.
