The All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended President Bola Tinubu's education reforms, citing the stabilisation of academic calendars in tertiary institutions as one of the administration's achievements. According to the party, the government reforms have addressed longstanding challenges in the education sector, including disputes between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). This was stated in a statement issued by Dele Alake, spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
The APC highlighted the Federal Ministry of Education's Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) 2026 report, which covers basic and secondary education, technical and vocational training, and tertiary education. The reforms focus on six priority areas, including technical and vocational education, science and medical sciences, out-of-school children, girl-child education, digitalisation, and education quality assurance. The party cited significant investments in education, including N3.52 trillion allocated to basic education in the 2026 budget.
The APC mentioned that the Federal Government secured $552 million for the HOPE-EDU programme, which is expected to benefit 29 million children, over 500,000 teachers, and 65,000 public schools. Additionally, the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programme returned over one million out-of-school children to classrooms, trained 1,400 Tsangaya teachers, and established 200 bilingual centres across 17 northern states.
The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) programme reached 7.19 million girls, with 3.7 million enrolled in secondary schools, while over 10,000 schools benefited from improved facilities. The administration introduced a revised national curriculum that reintroduced Nigerian History and strengthened Civic and Heritage Studies. The National Learning Assessment was also restored to monitor pupils' performance and identify learning gaps.
The APC disclosed that 53,553 teachers registered under the EduRevamp initiative, while 51,794 joined the first cohort of the Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway (ATPP), a six-month programme offering professional qualifications, certification, and licensing. The programme, backed by N2 billion, targets 250,000 teachers by 2027. The Inspire Live initiative provides online lessons from Primary One to Senior Secondary School Three through certified teachers and AI-assisted learning.
On technical and vocational education, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme attracted over 2.8 million applications, with 156,446 verified trainees receiving free training, monthly stipends, and start-up support. Over N65.7 billion was disbursed to trainees, while N30.2 billion went to training centres. The government rehabilitated 38 technical colleges and introduced free technical education covering tuition, boarding, textbooks, and uniforms.
The APC highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which processed 1,659,853 student loan applications and disbursed N372.62 billion to beneficiaries across 319 tertiary institutions. The amount comprises N192.89 billion for tuition and N179.73 billion for upkeep allowances. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, stated that the success of the reforms should be determined by their impact on students, teachers, and educational institutions rather than financial allocations or the number of programmes introduced.
Key points
- The APC defends President Bola Tinubu's education reforms, citing stabilisation of academic calendars and resolution of ASUU disputes.
