In what education stakeholders described as one of Nigeria’s most ambitious attempts to reposition scholarship, innovation and research as national priorities, the Federal Government on Monday, inaugurated the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Committee.

The Committee will set in motion a new annual award programme that will reward outstanding undergraduate, master’s and doctoral research with prizes valued at approximately N365 million.

The Committee was inaugurated by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, at the Digital Resource Centre, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

The committee has the mandate of overseeing the implementation of the National Laureate Programme, a flagship initiative designed to elevate academic excellence to the highest level of national recognition.

As conversations around education reform continue across Africa, Founder and Chief Executive of Alpha Chains Limited, Caroline Popoola has called for greater attention to be paid to early childhood education.

She argued that governments, policymakers and society often overlook the critical importance of the earliest years of a child’s development.

“Too often, we wait until children enter primary or secondary school before we begin talking about educational outcomes. By then, we have already missed some of the most important years of a child’s development,” she stated.
Popoola, an early childhood education advocate in a statement said investment in early years education remains essential to achieving long-term social and economic development across Africa.

Student teams from the Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola; the University of Ibadan; the University of Jos; and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka have emerged winners of the maiden Nigerian Engineering Olympiad for developing outstanding engineering innovations.

At the grand finale held recently in Lagos, the teams won a total of N110m in seed funding to accelerate the commercialisation of their innovations.

MAUT emerged overall winner, receiving a N50m grant, while UI received N30m for placing second.

The University of Jos received N20m for its third-place position, while UNN received N10m for finishing fourth.

Nigeria’s first Manufacturing Technology University Innovation Pod (Manu-Tech UniPod) was formally launched on Monday at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State.

The landmark project is a joint initiative of the Federal Government, the United Nations Development Programme, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and the Abia State Government.

Speaking during the inauguration, Vice President Kashim Shettima, represented by the Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, said the establishment of the Manu-Tech UniPod reaffirms the Federal Government’s commitment to repositioning higher education as a catalyst for innovation, entrepreneurship, research commercialisation and job creation.

Kabale District leaders have commissioned two new twin classroom blocks at Butanda Secondary School, constructed at a cost of Shs285 million, while directing the contractor to complete all outstanding works before the defect's liability period expires.

The classroom blocks, located in Butanda Sub-county, are expected to improve the school's learning environment and ease pressure on existing infrastructure.

Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, Headteacher Amos Mpamize Twine said the project commenced during the 2024/2025 Financial Year but experienced delays because the contractor lacked the capacity to execute the works within the expected timeframe.

The maiden edition of the National Schools Awards (NSA), under the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP), has been launched in Accra by the Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Apaak.

The awards scheme is aimed at promoting excellence and improving learning outcomes in basic schools across the country.

Being implemented by the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA), the initiative is expected to recognise schools that demonstrate measurable improvements in teaching, instructional leadership, school management and learner achievement.

The United States has announced plans to launch a new scholarship and technology exchange programme that will send 76 Kenyan university students to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in American universities.

The announcement was made by U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Susan Burns during celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence in Nairobi, where she described Kenya as one of Africa's leading innovation hubs and a critical partner in advancing technology and economic growth.

Burns said the initiative, dubbed the U.S.-Kenya Tech Bridge, will sponsor 76 Kenyan students--a number chosen to commemorate America's birth year of 1776--to pursue STEM studies in the United States before returning home for advanced on-the-job training with technology companies, including leading American firms.

The federal government in collaboration with the Institute of Education, Singapore, has commenced a capacity-building programme aimed at strengthening the delivery of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) across the country through the training of instructors and educators.

The initiative, tagged the "Train the Trainers (Pedagogy & Assessment) Programme," is a 10-day intensive training jointly organised by the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the Institute of Education, Singapore.

The programme is implemented in two cohorts, with the first cohort of 60 TVET teachers at the federal and state levels, currently undergoing training in Abuja, while a second cohort of another 60 teachers is scheduled to participate in Lagos.

The newly appointed Pro-Chancellor of Miva Open University, Dr Tunji Olowolafe, has called for a fundamental rethink of the delivery of higher education in Nigeria, insisting that quality education must be accessible to all, irrespective of geographical, economic or social barriers.

Speaking at the university's maiden convocation ceremony, held recently in Lagos, Olowolafe described open and distance learning as a transformative model capable of expanding access to higher education while maintaining rigorous academic standards.

According to him, the future of education lies in creating systems that adapt to learners' realities, rather than compelling students to fit into outdated educational structures.

Libraries must be equipped with emerging technologies and repositioned as centres of innovation, digital inclusion and lifelong learning to remain relevant in the modern information age, Professor Monica Mensah Danquah, has said.

She made the call as keynote speaker at the Maiden Library Week celebration of the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UNIMAC), held on the theme “Libraries for the Future: Enhancing New Technologies Today.” The event brought together faculties, students, sister university librarians and the Ghana Library Association.

Prof. Danquah said libraries could no longer rely on their traditional roles of storing and lending books but must evolve in response to rapid digital transformation and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).

The International Education group at Cambridge University Press and Assessment (Cambridge), in partnership with the British Council, celebrated Nigeria’s top-performing students at the British Council Recognition and Outstanding Cambridge Learner awards.

The awards held recently in Lagos, accorded recognition to learners across more than 40 countries who achieve academic excellence in Cambridge IGCSE, O Level and Cambridge International AS & A Level examinations.

The Regional Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, International Education at Cambridge, Juan Visser, said, “Our Cambridge learners in Nigeria have once again demonstrated exceptional dedication and excellence through their outstanding examination results.

The Sa’adatu Rimi Federal College of Education, Kano, has called for the transformation of teacher education in Nigeria through the adoption of digital innovation, stressing that technology-driven learning is critical to improving the quality and global relevance of teacher training.

The institution said digital tools and virtual learning platforms now offer new opportunities to modernise how teachers are trained, enabling greater access to global expertise and more flexible methods of instruction.

This position was reinforced during an international virtual learning programme hosted by the college, where a certificate training session was delivered remotely by Dr Donna Stallings, a former professor at Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri, United States.