Education is more than a pathway to opportu­nity – it is the warp and woof of society. It acts as a vehicle for economic transfor­mation and social improvement. Given the uneven nature of edu­cational access in Nigeria and the tendency for access to correlate sharply with socio-economic class, AI promises an unprece­dented way to democratize and improve learning across each layer of society, most especially in underserved regions.

Those AI-powered platforms that might help catalyse educa­tional equity and economic em­powerment in Nigeria’s most under-resourced communities are the ones where traditional ed­ucational infrastructures remain out-dated or non-existent.

These are whole ecosystems enabled through adaptive learning tech­nologies, not mere tools. What they might eventually do is rede­fine the landscape of education wholesale: make high-quality, personalized learning scalable.

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) is to adopt public-private partnerships as a key priority in the commission’s new strategic blueprint for delivering basic education services in the country. Executive Secretary of UBEC, Hajia Aisha Garba, who made this known, has accordingly had a series of meetings with the private sector, including the Head of Oando Foundation, Tonia Uduimoh.

Garba, during a meeting in Abuja with the Oando Foundation, emphasised the need for effective collaboration between the government and private sector in advancing basic education in Nigeria. The discussions at the meeting centred on strengthening private sector partnerships in delivering basic education services, a key priority in UBEC’s new strategic blueprint.

The executive secretary expressed commitment to reviewing the proposed framework by the private sector and to establish a platform for PPP and other sustainable models for private sector investment in advancing Nigeria’s basic education sector.

Many chilling indicators underscore the crisis in Nigeria’s education sector, as depicted in a recent focus on that sector. They include but are not limited to, frequent industrial unrests, low funding, the embarrassing mass number of out-of-school children and the devastating drain on the country’s lean resources, with billions of dollars spent on foreign education while institutions at home struggle to survive.

Education is too important to neglect, as it is the major means to secure the country’s future. The government, and all other stakeholders, should leverage the global focus on Education Day to prioritise education through sufficient funding, quality monitoring and constant evaluation.

The decadence in the sector was amplified recently by the Catholic Church when it called on the government to take immediate and decisive action to address the country’s education crisis. The occasion was the International Day for Education, when the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), decried the millions of children kept out of school, insisting that education remained an inalienable right for every child.

THE Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) says it is planning a protest next week Friday to express its dissatisfaction with poor salaries. The teachers' union said that the government is failing to adjust salaries amid the rising cost of living.

In a statement, ARTUZ demanded a salary review before March 28, 2025, warning of nationwide mass action if the government does not address their grievances. "ARTUZ is calling on all teachers to down tools on March 28, 2025, in response to the government's failure to review salaries in line with the rising cost of living.

"For years, the government has maintained a tradition of reviewing civil servants' salaries quarterly. "However, as the first quarter of 2025 comes to an end on March 31, the employer has completely ignored all calls for a salary adjustment.

The government will roll out a comprehensive Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) transformation agenda, the Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Abas Apaak, has disclosed. The agenda will be in the form of funding and improving TVET education, enterprise development and job creation, as well as TVET instructor development.

Dr Apaak said this while delivering the keynote address during a grand durbar to climax the 25th anniversary of the Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU) in the Upper East Region last Friday. The well-attended ceremony was on the theme: “25 years of technical education: Impact, challenges and prospects”.

He stated that the new TVET agenda was aimed at upgrading technical university facilities by modernising laboratories, workshops and classrooms to meet international standards and enhance teaching and learning.

Prudential Bank has donated GHS 83,200.00 to the Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) for the procurement and installation of eight projectors at the university’s lecture theatres. The donation was in response to a call for assistance by the KsTU to facilitate and enhance effective teaching and learning at the university.

Presenting the cheque to the university, the Area Manager for the Northern Sector of the bank, Jalaludeen Emran Adam, said the donation was in line with the bank’s commitment to promote education through enhanced academic excellence and technological advancement.

“A key pillar in our Corporate Social Responsibility drive is to promote quality education in Ghana in fulfilment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) specifically SDG 4. We believe the procurement and installation of these equipment will go a long way to facilitate effective teaching and learning on campus,” he said.

Curriculum, or a sequential plan of learning experiences to fulfil specific educational goals, guides what is learned and how it is experienced in class. As the global status of Africa increases, it is wise to examine if Ghana's education system properly prepares its youth for the future.

While Ghana has made outstanding progress in opening up access to education, simply, access is insufficient to deliver quality learning outcomes. The national curriculum needs to be contextualised locally, at district and regional levels.

Ghana's great diversity of over 50 ethnic groups and a variety of different economic activities—from northern farming to coastal fisheries—calls for a curriculum sensitive to these contexts. The dominant "one-size-fits-all" national curriculum often doesn't resonate with the everyday experience of learners.

In line with its commitment to education and youth empowerment, OPay, has announced its plans to award scholarships to students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, making the institution the third beneficiary of its N1.2 billion 10-year scholarship scheme.

This initiative reinforces OPay’s commitment to empowering Nigeria’s youths and supporting academic excellence in tertiary institutions. The scholarship programme is designed to alleviate financial burdens for students, enabling them to focus on their studies and personal development. By reaching OAU, OPay continues its strategic plan to invest in future leaders, particularly in regions with diverse academic potential and talent.

OPay’s Chief Public Affairs Officer, Justin Zhang, who spoke on the initiative, highlighted the importance of education in nation-building and reiterated the company’s dedication to fostering opportunities for students across the nation.

The Nostalgia of “Ten Books” and the ghosts of educational identity. When we were young, the description of someone who read “ten books” (Ó kàwé mẹ́wàá) depicted those who successfully completed their secondary education.

Why ten, one may wish to ask when it took us eleven years to complete secondary education then? This colloquialism, rooted in Nigeria’s pre-independence era, reflects a time when education was not merely a ladder to certification but a symbolic rite of passage.

The “ten books” metaphor likely originated from the colonial-era curriculum, where mastery of core subjects—arithmetic, English, geography, and history—was measured in tangible, countable units. Yet, this simplicity masked a deeper truth: education was already drifting from its functional African roots, where learning was inseparable from communal survival.

The University of Calabar says it has developed a 25-year plan to strengthen its workforce and curriculum.
Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof Florence Obi, disclosed this on Tuesday in Calabar, during an interaction with media.

The media interaction is part of activities lined up for the 50th anniversary of the institution and the 37th convocation ceremony. Obi noted that the paucity of funds was a major challenge for any public university, adding that, it was the reason for the increase in money paid by students.

“The Federal Government pays our personnel cost, but they don’t give us money to run the university; in fact, UniCal receives N13 million monthly as subvention which does not cover our electricity bill before solar was introduced.

There is an often-repeated truth that the cost of denying young people access to education is far greater than the price of funding it. A country that fails to invest in its youth is not just limiting their individual potential, it is stalling its own progress.

The natural energy of young Nigerians is unmatched. Their passion, drive, and resilience are qualities that have made them shine across the globe, from the tech corridors of Silicon Valley to the creative industries of London and Paris. But passion alone is not enough.

Ambition needs access. Talent needs opportunity. And without the right structures in place, personal growth and national development will always struggle to keep pace with an increasingly advanced world. To paraphrase the acclaimed writer Chinua Achebe, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.” But when leadership takes decisive action to address fundamental issues, real progress happens.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty emphasized his ministry's commitment to enhancing Egypt's education and training systems while expanding opportunities for skilled Egyptian labor abroad.

During a meeting on Monday with Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Mohamed Ayman Ashour, Education and Technical Education Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif, and Labor Minister Mohamed Gobran, discussions focused on aligning Egypt's education system with international labor market demands.

Abdelatty highlighted the crucial role of Egyptian diplomatic missions overseas in identifying global employment opportunities and supporting national education initiatives. He noted that the ministry collaborates with international organizations to stay updated on labor market trends and relay relevant insights to Egyptian institutions.