The Federal Government has proposed a major overhaul of Nigeria’s tertiary education curriculum, shifting the focus to 80 per cent practical training and 20 per cent theoretical instruction to improve graduates’ employability and bridge the gap between education and industry needs.
The Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmad, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while representing the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, at the 2026 National Town Hall Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund.
She said the proposed reform would replace the existing curriculum model of 70 per cent theory and 30 per cent practical training with a more hands on approach, particularly in technical and vocational programmes.
The proposed curriculum shift comes as TETFund’s allocations have risen significantly, from 320.3 billion naira in 2023 to 683.4 billion naira in 2024, and 1.6 trillion naira in 2025.
In his welcome address, Chairman of TETFund’s Board of Trustees, Aminu Bello Masari, who said the increased funding reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to human capital development,however
stressed the need to ensure that the resources translate into improved educational outcomes, stronger research capacity and better equipped graduates.
Meanwhile, TETFund Executive Secretary, Architect Sonny Echono, disclosed that more than 480 projects across beneficiary institutions were ready for commissioning.
Track up
The meeting, themed “Investing in Nigeria’s Future: Tertiary Education, Human Capital and National Development,” also emphasised the need for greater accountability in the management of public education funds.
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