Nigeria needs urgent reforms in education sector – Minister

Maaruf Olatunji Alausa, Nigeria’s Minister of Education has stressed the urgent need for comprehensive reforms in Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, saying the reforms must be thorough within the Polytechnics and Colleges of Education system in order to correct negative perceptions that graduates of such a system are inferior to the University counterparts.

Speaking during an interactive session with key stakeholders held in Kano, Alausa emphasised the importance of addressing critical challenges and adopting best practices to strengthening the nation’s technical and vocational education system.

He identified several major challenges that impede effectiveness of Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, saying inadequate infrastructure, insufficient funding, shortage of qualified teachers and curriculum misalignment with industry needs were major challenges.

“These issues collectively undermine the quality of education and the employability of graduates. Outdated facilities and a lack of modern equipment were pinpointed as significant obstacles to student success. Without access to state-of-the-art tools and learning environments, students are deprived of hands-on experience critical to building practical skills.

“Budgetary constraints remain a persistent issue, limiting the ability of institutions to provide quality education. Insufficient funding impacts infrastructure, staff development, and program delivery, further compromising educational outcomes.
“The scarcity of qualified educators exacerbates the situation, with many institutions struggling to attract and retain skilled professionals”, he explained.

Read also: EU invests £45.4m in Nigerian education sector projects

He added that the curriculum often fails to align with industry demands creating a gap between the skills graduates and what employers require.

He outlined a multifaceted strategy for addressing the challenges, explaining that key reforms expected should include modernising infrastructure, implementing ongoing teacher training programme, and revising the curriculum to ensure it is industry-relevant.
Strategic governance reforms were also proposed, with an emphasis on clarifying the roles of governing councils to support institutional administration effectively.

While calling for stronger partnership between Federal Ministry of Education, Governing Councils and stakeholders to foster sustainable progress as such collaboration is essential to creating an enabling environment for institutional growth and innovation.

The Minister praised the academic contributions of his predecessors and expressed gratitude to stakeholders for their commitment to education reform. He also encouraged institutional leaders to promote a shared vision and combat the negative perception that graduates of Polytechnics and Colleges are inferior to their University counterparts.

He also expressed confidence that the deliberations and collaborative efforts would result in significant improvements to Nigeria’s technical and vocational education system, producing skilled graduates who can drive economic growth.