UNICEF pledges stronger action against out-of-school children in Sokoto. The United Nations (UN) has reaffirmed its commitment to work with the Malala Fund in its mission to advance the right to education and address the challenges that keep millions of children, especially girls, out of school.

During a strategic engagement in Abuja with the Malala Fund’s co-founder, Malala Yousafzai, alongside the organisation’s executive team and board members, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, underscored the global agency’s dedication to promoting inclusive and equitable education for all.

“The UN reaffirms its support to the Malala Fund in advancing the right of the girl-child to quality education and breaking barriers to education access, he said, stating: “No child should be left behind.” Fall led a UN delegation, comprising representatives from UNICEF, UNESCO, UNDP, UNFPA, and UN Women, to the meeting.

Stakeholders have called on Nigerian teachers to positively impact the lives of students, stressing that their role is central to reversing the country’s alarming out-of-school children statistics and shaping a sustainable future.

The charge was made at Project Future 4ward, a Sustainable World Impact Programme (SWIP) initiative, held in Lagos, with the theme, ‘Building the Wholesome Teacher Through Evidence-Based Learning and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)-Centred Education.’

The training session brought together teachers, SDG coordinators, and education advocates, with participants reaffirming their commitment to equipping teachers as catalysts of change in Nigeria’s education system. In her welcome address, convener of SWIP, Olayinka Oladipo, painted a sobering picture of the education crisis in Nigeria.

Nigerian teacher and education advocate, Mr Seyi Anifowose, has officially entered the Guinness World Records for convening the largest gathering of teachers in history, a feat achieved at the “Let There Be Teachers Conference 2025” held on September 20 at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.

A statement by 1 Million Teachers on Friday said the confirmation was announced via a Zoom call on Wednesday, September 23, by Rishi Nath, a representative of Guinness World Records. Nath commended Anifowose and his team for drawing global attention to an issue that, according to him, “should be on the front burner of policy and dialogue nationally.”

The record-setting event, powered by 1 Million Teachers, drew an unprecedented number of educators from across Nigeria. Organisers had projected attendance of 60,000 teachers, underscoring both the scale of the mobilisation and the urgency of the message: that Nigerian teachers deserve greater recognition, welfare, and policy support.

The British Council has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s creative and educational ecosystems through long-term partnerships, targeted capacity-building initiatives, and increased support for young people and educators.

This pledge was made during the Creative Economy Week 2025, a high-level gathering in Lagos that convened creative practitioners, cultural hubs, industry leaders, policymakers, private sector stakeholders, and investors to explore strategies for growth and skills development within Nigeria’s creative sector.

Speaking at the event, the Country Director of the British Council in Nigeria, Donna McGowan, highlighted the organisation’s role in building sustainable impact across multiple sectors. She explained that the Council’s approach is rooted in collaboration with key players at the policy level, within institutions, and across communities.

No fewer than 5,000 students of the University of Benin risk being barred from writing the second-semester examinations scheduled to commence on Monday, for failing to pay their school charges. In a memo signed by the Registrar of the institution, Mr Ademola Bobola, the university announced the strict enforcement of its “no payment of school charges, no examination” policy, insisting that repeated reminders to defaulters had been ignored.

“The university management is in receipt of the list of students who have failed to pay their school charges despite repeated reminders. “These students have also failed to subscribe to the students’ loans being provided by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND),” Bobola said.

The registrar said all efforts to encourage the affected students to either pay their fees or access the NELFUND facility had yielded no positive response. “With the second-semester examination set to begin on Monday, Sept. 29, these students shall be barred from writing the examination if they fail to pay their school charges or subscribe to the students’ loan by NELFUND,” he said.

Two Nigerian girls have placed the nation on the global technology map after emerging winners of the 2025 Technovation Global Summit (Beginner Division) with an artificial intelligence (AI) app designed to tackle drowsy and distracted driving.

The prodigies, 10-year-old Akachukwu Blessed Nwachukwu and Ifunanya Gabriella Okoye, both from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, developed Stay Woke, an AI-powered mobile app that uses facial recognition and voice interaction to detect driver fatigue in real time and issue alerts to prevent accidents.

Competing as Team Appsolute, the duo outshone strong contenders from Japan, Spain, Canada, and Peru to clinch the world title at the competition’s grand finale. Technovation—the world’s largest tech entrepreneurship program for girls aged 8–18—recorded over 33,000 participants from 117 countries this year, with 11,000 completing the program and more than 3,200 tech-based solutions developed.

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced the commencement of a nationwide recruitment exercise to fill several vacancies at its headquarters in Abuja. In a public notice issued on Friday, the Commission invited qualified Nigerians to apply for openings across officer, confidential secretary, and clerical or auxiliary staff cadres.

“The recruitment exercise is open to all eligible Nigerians who meet the advertised requirements. Applications are free of charge and must be submitted through the official careers portal,” the notice read.
Applicants have been directed to visit careers.nuc.edu.ng or nuc.edu.ng for detailed guidelines.

The Commission stressed that applications must be submitted within six weeks of the announcement, adding that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further screening. For the officer cadre, positions include Senior Officer (CONTISS 9), Trainee/Officer I (CONTISS 8), and Trainee Officer II (CONTISS 7).

In a bold investment in Nigeria’s next generation of leaders, Sterling Bank has unveiled the first 99 beneficiaries of its N2 billion Beyond Education Scholarship Fund.
This, the bank said, signaled the rise of a movement to reimagine education as the engine of national transformation.

Speaking during the Sterling Leadership Series (SLS) held recently in Lagos, Chief Operating Officer of Sterling Bank, Temitayo Adegoke, described the unveiling as a clarion call for a new era. “At Sterling, we see education as the most powerful tool for transformation. We have invested, and will continue to invest, in programs that extend access to quality education and create pathways for real-world opportunities,” Adegoke said.

Launched earlier this year, the Beyond Education Scholarship Fund is set to provide full tuition scholarships to deserving Nigerians, marking one of the boldest private-sector commitments to higher education in the country’s history.

Google has announced a new set of investments in Africa, reaffirming its nearly two-decade commitment to the continent’s digital transformation. The latest commitments focus on empowering Africa’s next generation through Artificial Intelligence (AI), unlocking opportunities and expanding on the innovation capacity of young Africans.

They cover internet connectivity; youth-led learning and innovation; and skills training. According to a statement from Google yesterday, the tech giant is announcing four strategic subsea cable connectivity hubs in the north, south, east and west regions of Africa. The investment covers free one-year subscriptions to Google AI Pro plan for college students (18 or older) across the continent – starting with Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The investment creates new digital corridors within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world – ultimately deepening international connectivity and resilience, as well as spurring economic growth and opportunity.

It's a Friday, and classes end at midday. But unlike before, Miriam Kaseke, a teacher at Domborinenhiwi Primary School, is in no rush to find transport home. Instead, she looks forward to hosting family members for the weekend at the school, nestled deep in the rural eastern fringe of Mashonaland East province.

"They are comfortable coming here these days. It feels like home," she said, as she made her way to a new grey house on the school grounds, built with support from the Schools Improvement Grant (SIG), Complementary Funding for teacher accommodation.

This warmth and comfort sharply contrast with Kaseke's arrival at the school in 2019. Back then, the single, dilapidated four-roomed teacher's house was already overcrowded, leaving her with no option but to occupy the pantry.

The Minister of Education, Moruf Alausa, has said that the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu is committed to restoring the dignity of the teaching profession and redesigning Nigeria’s education curriculum to meet the demands of the 21st century.

Alausa stated this on Thursday while delivering a speech at a colloquium themed “The Future of Africa”, organised to celebrate the 80th birthday of a former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Oyo State.

Represented by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, the minister explained that the government’s priority is to revolutionise the nation’s education system by equipping young Nigerians with critical thinking, innovation, and entrepreneurial skills.

Education experts in Kwara State have stressed that credible and reliable data must underpin every reform in the sector to ensure effective planning, sustainable growth and improved service delivery. This was the consensus at a stakeholders’ engagement meeting with Education Management Information System officials from the 16 local government areas, held at the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development headquarters in Ilorin.

The Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, said reforms without reliable data would amount to guesswork and poor policy direction. He said, “The Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq administration is determined to ensure every education policy is founded on credible data.

Without reliable statistics, informed decisions and effective planning are impossible.” He urged heads of schools to support EMIS officials by providing accurate and timely information, while also avoiding over-admission of students beyond schools’ carrying capacity.