African universities should adopt student-centred institutional cultures and modes of teaching in a bid to produce a cadre of ‘organic intellectuals’ who can change the ways in which society thinks about itself, according to Yunus Ballim, who recently completed a six-year term as the founding vice-chancellor of Sol Plaatje University (SPU) in Kimberley, South Africa, and a former deputy vice-chancellor at the University of the Witwatersrand where he was responsible for the academic programme.

Noting that there has been little reflection by higher education leaders about the nature of the university on the continent, he said: “A university must always be more than a place that develops students’ ability to pass exams. “Universities should also be developing critically engaged citizens who will go out and ask the difficult questions.”

Drawing on his own experience at SPU, Ballim says that higher education institutions must seek to enhance students’ learning in any way they can – including through their approach to inculcating knowledge and through their management of operations.

The Federal Government’s proposal to spend N60 billion on a school feeding programme in 2025 will be laudable only if the money is judiciously used for its intended purpose. The budget, therefore, demands careful and thorough scrutiny in its application for efficiency purposes.

Undoubtedly, Nigeria’s school feeding program holds immense potential to benefit children, communities, and the nation. By providing free meals to public primary school pupils in a country plagued with mass poverty and huge challenges in meeting family commitments, school feeding aims to encourage parents to send their wards to school, increase enrollment and attendance, improve nutrition, and boost local agriculture.

However, despite billions of naira invested since its relaunch in 2016, concerns about transparency and sustainability persist. Launched in 2005, discontinued, and revived in 2015, the programme has seen varying degrees of success. While it has demonstrably improved enrollment and nutrition in some areas, challenges remain.

The Federal Government has set a 2027 target for transitioning its examination system to 100 per cent computer-based testing (CBT). The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced this during the inauguration of the Committee on Improvement of Quality Examinations in Nigeria yesterday in Abuja.

Alausa said the committee was set up to address key challenges in the education sector, standardise examination practices and ensure fairness and quality. The minister restated Federal Government’s commitment to tackling widespread examination malpractices and enhancing the overall quality of the nation’s educational assessments.

He noted that tackling examination leakages requires a holistic approach as students are not the only culprits in examination malpractices. The minister stressed that teachers, head teachers as well as examination supervisors were also culpable in the rising examination malpractices in the country.

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as of January 1 has disbursed N116.184 billion as loans to students across 176, 252 beneficiary institutions, it was learnt yesterday..

The Managing Director of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyer, who made this known during a budget defence session organised by the joint National Assembly Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, in Abuja, said the N58.4billion was allocated to the agency as expenditure for the 2025 fiscal year.

This is even as Senators warned the Managing Director of the agency to desist from embarking on ‘frivolous’ capital projects that have no bearing on the mandate and responsibilities of the agency. In his presentation, Sawyer explained that of the N116.184billion, N37.7billion was spent on institution loans. According to him, 352,796 students applied for the loan, while 108,484 were attended to.

Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Nigeria’s dedication to harnessing the potential of its youth, investing in education, and advancing smart agriculture are necessary strategies that will go a long to tackle global and domestic challenges.

He made the declaration on Thursday at the Financial Times Global Risk Roundtable at the ongoing 2025 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. On a continental level, he noted that African youths are central to this transformation. Shettima observed however that while crises abound, they also present opportunities for nations to rebuild stronger.

A statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, quoted him as saying: “The word for crisis in Chinese is ‘Wei Ji’. Wei stands for danger, while Ji stands for opportunity. Yes, we have challenges, but those challenges are pregnant with opportunities to re-engineer our society and build back better.”

African School of Governance (ASG) has been launched in Kigali, Rwanda, marking a significant milestone in the institution’s mission to empower the next generation of African leaders and innovators.

According to a statement signed by the school, the application for ASG’s inaugural cohort will open on February 1, 2025, while it anticipates producing 1,000 graduates within the first five years, who will be well-equipped to assume leadership roles in various sectors, contributing to the realisation of Africa’s sustainable development goals (SDGs).

It also noted that ASG’s curriculum blends global academic standards with African insights and case studies, aiming to attract a diverse group of talented individuals from across the African continent, adding that the institution seeks to produce purpose-driven leaders who can innovate, drive policy reforms, and shape sustainable development in Africa.

Africa’s educational technology (EdTech) landscape is growing unprecedentedly, focusing on providing access to quality education across the continent but not without its challenges. Over the last decade, WiFiCombat Academy has established itself as a trailblazer in the African educational technology landscape, delivering cutting-edge solutions to schools, institutions, and governments across the continent.

Dele Tejuoso, the founder of WiFiCombat Academy made this known recently when she revealed the vision of the academy. “Our goal is to build a pipeline of skilled individuals across Africa, integrating STEM education with career pathway guidance, using innovative tools like AI-driven assessments and gamified learning experiences,” Tejuoso said.

In addition, Tejuoso said that the academy has been on a mission to provide future-ready skills and personalised career guidance to students, ranging from primary school to university level. “The academy’s core mission revolves around empowering young learners with hands-on experience in technology while preparing them to be job-ready, entrepreneurial, and tech-savvy leaders,” she noted.

The Governor, Edo State, Monday Okpebholo has approved the recruitment of 500 teachers by the State Basic Education Board to boost learning. The Commissioner for Education, Dr Emmanuel Iyamu, announced this on Wednesday in Benin on assumption of office.

Iyamu was sworn in on Monday by Okpebholo following his confirmation as commissioner by the state’s House of Assembly. The new commissioner reiterated the importance placed on the education sector by the Okpebholo-led administration.

He added that the recruitment would be done in tranches, stressing that “it is meant to fill the numerous vacancies in public schools. “Government is committed to ensuring that all public schools in Edo are adequately staffed by qualified teachers.

The Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, has announced a reward of ₦5 million and a bungalow for an award-winning Math teacher, Kayode Adewale, who was recently shortlisted for the prestigious $1 million Global Teacher Prize.

Adewale, known for integrating technology with local language instruction at Imagbon/Imak Comprehensive High School in Ogun State, secured a spot among the top 50 finalists for the global award. In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, Abiodun lauded Adewale’s contributions to education and named him Ogun State Education Ambassador. The governor promised to honor Adewale with a bungalow in any location of his choice within the state, alongside a ₦5 million cash reward.

The statement said, “As a state that prides itself on being the education capital of Nigeria, we are immensely proud to celebrate one of our own, Kayode Adewale, a visionary educator who has earned a place among the Top 50 teachers globally in the prestigious Global Teacher Prize.

The Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, has stated that the Federal Government is working closely with state governors to address the issue of out-of-school children. Alausa disclosed this during the 2025 budget defence session hosted by the Joint Committee on Tertiary Institutions, TETFund, and Education at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to him, the ministry has engaged with state governors and the 36 state Commissioners for Education to find lasting solutions to the problem. “We’re working together on this. It has to be a collaborative effort. The number of out-of-school children is mind-boggling and disturbing. It is not confined to one geo-political region; it is a nationwide issue.

“We need to confront it or risk being consumed by it. We have to engage with our governors, and we’ve held a meeting with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to discuss how to collaborate on this. “We are also working with all 36 Commissioners for Education, including the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said on Tuesday that the ministry was considering a proposal to convert all federal colleges of education in the country to Universities of Education. Speaking at a budget defence before the joint House of Representatives Committees on Education, the minister said the move becomes necessary because many students no longer seek admission into Colleges of Education any more.

The minister revealed that despite budgetary allocation to the Colleges of Education, some of them have less than 1000 students. “Do we need these colleges of education? They don’t exist in United States of America, and several other advanced countries. Let us convert them to universities of education,” he said.

On the 2025 budget proposal, the Minister said the budget is hinged on achieving major plank of President Bola Tinubu’s eight priorities which will be implemented through the ministerial deliverables of 2024-2027 in line with the education sector roadmap.

An award-winning teacher at Imagbon/Imaka Comprehensive High School, Imagbon, Ogun State, Kayode Adewale, has been shortlisted for a $1 million Global Teacher Prize (GTP). He is a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) educator.

Adewale has been recognized for his innovative teaching method of translating complex mathematical problems into local language. He emerged as one of the 50 finalists in the 2025 annual Global Teacher Prize.
Adewale was the only Nigerian who made the shortlist; he was one of the seven finalists from Africa.

The Global Teacher Prize is an international award celebrating exceptional teachers making outstanding contributions to the profession. It was established in 2014 by the Varkey Foundation and is presented annually in partnership with UNESCO. The award aims to highlight the critical role of teachers in shaping the future and solving some of the world’s greatest challenges through education.