The Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, has outlined a new strategy focused on advancing Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Technical and Vocational Education and Training and enhancing the overall quality of learning in the country.

Alausa stated this in Abuja on Wednesday while declaring open the stakeholders’ consultative dialogue on the Education Sector Renewal Initiative 2024-2027. The meeting had in attendance representatives from the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, the World Bank and the European Union amongst others.

Alausa said his strategic goals include reducing the number of out-of-school children, addressing learning poverty, and enhancing skills development and human capital for the labour market. He also emphasised the integration of out-of-school children and Almajiri into formal education, alongside initiatives such as conditional cash transfers, school feeding programs and Social and Behavioral Change Communication for the education of girls and vulnerable populations.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday urged the Federal Ministry of Education to commence a pilot programme in selected schools across the country to assess the feasibility and benefits of utilising local languages as a medium of instruction and teaching.

The resolution was a sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Kalejaiye Adeboye Paul (APC, Lagos), who harped on the need to promote local languages.


In his lead debate, Hon. Kalejaiye noted that Nigeria boasts of an extraordinary linguistic diversity, reflecting the rich cultural tapestry of the nation, while the current educational system primarily employs English as the medium of instruction, which has rendered the local languages like Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba ineffective and almost extinct.

According to a report by the World Economic Forum, only 25 percent of African university graduates feel adequately prepared to start their businesses. While many African universities and business schools offer strong theoretical foundations, they often fall short in equipping students to navigate the unique challenges of the African market.

While business schools might teach finance or marketing in general terms, they often overlook specific skills that are needed to run successful businesses in Africa’s dynamic environment – like networking, fundraising, and even pivoting.

Digital literacy for entrepreneurs is another factor. With Africa’s digital economy expected to contribute $712 billion to Africa’s GDP by 2050, entrepreneurs need a solid understanding of digital tools and services that enhance their business operations.

The UK Government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting international education in Nigeria by building strong partnerships with Nigerian universities. This commitment was expressed at the Going Global Conference in Abuja, themed “Building Sustainable and Relevant Tertiary Education Institutions and Systems in Africa.”

The three-day conference, hosted by the British Council, is taking place from the 26th to the 28th of November 2024. It provides a platform for senior leaders in tertiary education, policymakers, and industry experts to debate the future of further and higher education.

In his opening remarks at the conference, the UK Government’s International Education Champion, Sir Steve Smith, announced the commencement of three projects between UK and Nigerian universities. He said: “I am pleased to confirm that, starting in January 2025, three new projects focused on expanding partnerships between institutions in Nigeria and the UK will be supported through the British Council Transnational Education (TNE) Exploratory Grants Scheme.

Vice Chancellor of Trinity University (TU), Yaba, Lagos, Professor Clement Kolawole, says without adequate investment in human capital development and leveraging on education, sustainable development is not achievable in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

He observed that the inability of most African countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 is traceable to non-development of education as a driving force, adding that education for sustainable development is the response to the need to address the gap in 2015.

Professor Kolawole noted this while addressing participants from universities across the geopolitical zones of the country at the maiden edition of a joint conference between the Industrial Training Fund and Trinity University (ITF/TU), held at Drapers Hall of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan on Tuesday last week.

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, and the High Commissioner of Namibia to Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Humprey Geiseb, on Tuesday advocated adequate investment in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education to tackle prevailing challenges confronting Nigeria as a country.

Delivering the maiden lecture of the Thomas Adewumi University (TAU), Oko-Irese, Irepodun local government area of Kwara state, Governor Mankinde said that nations of the world that had invested adequately in STEM education are now leading the world,” adding that Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind.

This is just as the High Commissioner of Namibia to Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Humprey Geiseb, said Nigeria and Namibia have established a strong tie through educational exchange programs, urging the two countries to explore the advantages.

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has trained 137 Education Secretaries of Local Government Universal Basic Education Authorities in the South-west, noting that the strength and development of the country’s educational system, rests on the quality of primary education.

Speaking during the training session, the Commission’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi said roles of the secretaries in basic education implementation are too crucial to be taken for grants. The Commission trained education secretaries within the South-west region, on the 2023/2024 Teacher Professional Development (TPD) programme in Ibadan between 18th to 22nd November, 2024.

Represented by UBEC’s zonal assistant director, Mr. Olusegun Akere, he said the role of education secretaries in basic education implementation is too crucial to be taken for granted, hence the need for them to pay adequate attention to training.

The Chief Executive Officer of Aerofield Homes Limited, Mr Armstrong Akintunde, has called for collaborative efforts to develop the education sector in the country. Akintunde maintained that the government is trying to enhance the delivery of qualitative education, but the job is daunting given the country’s population and other competing needs.

He said there’s a need for everyone to contribute towards the provision of a conducive learning environment for the citizenry. Akintunde made the remarks while speaking with journalists shortly after his election as the new president of the Christ Apostolic Grammar School Old Students Association, Iperu Remo.

Speaking after his inauguration, Akintunde said the large turnout of old students for the election confirmed the love and respect they all have for their alma mater. “Government cannot do it alone; we must as stakeholders and old students be ready to deploy our resources and influence to complement the government’s efforts in upscaling the infrastructural drive of the school while also supporting the students to excel in their studies,” he said.

Despite decades of democracy and transformation, South Africa remains home to one of the most unequal education systems in the world. While a small number of private and former "Model C" schools offer education on par with developed nations, most government-run schools face severe challenges.

These disparities place South Africa in the same bracket as nations like Ghana, Chad, Angola and Liberia. According to the 2024 Reading Panel report, a staggering 81% of Grade 4 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning in any language. This statistic highlights the severe educational crisis and the urgent need for reform.

While a handful of schools thrive with dedicated resources, trained teachers, and modern facilities, most government schools operate under immense strain. Overcrowded classrooms, outdated teaching materials, and a lack of psychosocial support services are just some of the daily challenges.

Infinix, a trending technology brand in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have organised training in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, and Programming for 30 students of the University of Ibadan.

Speaking on the training held at the Infinix U.I. Resource Centre aimed to inspire the next generation on innovation while utilizing the new CogLabs modules, the Community Manager Infinix Mobile Phone Users, Olumide Aderoju highlighting the significance of the training and its ripple effects on Nigeria’s tech landscape,

He noted that the training is aim at empowering Nigerian educators and students with essential coding, machine learning and Robotics skills to endeavour STEM education. He said what they did was a train the trainers session, adding that about 30 UI students who are interested in STEM and AI have been trained, noting that those that were trained will then train other students and non students to become trainers.

The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Student Engagement, Hon. Sunday Asefon, has said the implementation of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund(NELFUND) underscores the commitment of government to the welfare of students and national development.

Asefon maintained that Tinubu is making efforts to see that every young Nigerian is equipped with education to succeed in an ever-evolving world. According to the presidential media aide, some of the initiatives introduced by the Tinubu administration is already making the right impacts as students welfare improvement is being noticeable.

Asefon spoke in Abuja during the commemoration of 2024 International Student Day, where some outstanding students tertiary institutions and candidates in public examinations were presented with laptops, cash rewards and scholarships.

Two African universities, in Ghana and Kenya, are part of a group of higher learning institutions that have received research grants from a global company specialising in ethical AI-for-learning technology. The research grants will enable the universities to conduct academic evaluations of Studiosity’s GenAI-powered learning support platform. Universities in Nepal, Pakistan and Malaysia have also received grants.

The platform, which was launched earlier this year and is already in use at 45 universities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom, will also be made available to Kenya’s University of Nairobi and Ghana’s University of Education, Winneba, to enhance understanding and evidence of how the technology can improve student learning outcomes across diverse cultural and socio-economic contexts.

“The technology is being introduced in Africa through research grants awarded to the Ghana [University of Education, Winneba] and the University of Nairobi, Kenya. The grants allow for robust research of the projects,” says Sarah Crossing, the global director: brand, marketing, student experience and social responsibility at Studiosity.