The Federal Government says it injected N10.1 billion into the education sector in the fourth quarter of 2025 to strengthen skills development, student support and school safety.
The Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday while outlining key interventions under the Nigerian Educational Sector Renewed Initiative (NESRI).
A breakdown of the expenditure shows that N50 million was disbursed under the Student Venture Capital Grant (S-VCG), facilitated through a partnership between the Federal Government and the Bank of Industry to enhance capacity-building opportunities for tertiary students.
During the period under review, N2.97 billion in stipends was paid to 160,000 vocational students, while N4.6 billion was allocated to upgrade skills training centres under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme.
The minister also said N2.55 billion was committed to a nationwide menstrual health campaign aimed at distributing over one million sanitary pads to 370,000 girls in rural and underserved communities.
Alausa described the interventions as part of the government’s commitment to improving literacy, reducing out-of-school children and tackling learning poverty.
He said the six-point agenda of NESRI was designed to transition Nigeria from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based one by strengthening skills acquisition and human capital development.
On school security, the minister disclosed that the ministry was establishing a School Safety Department to reinforce security frameworks and infrastructure across schools nationwide.
He added that security agencies were working to enhance safety in schools, noting that the ministry partners with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to deploy a real-time school safety tracking system.
Alausa further highlighted improvements in academic welfare, citing a 40 per cent upward review of academic emoluments and a revised salary structure under CONUASS and CATA following a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
According to him, although it took about two decades to implement aspects of the agreement, the present administration successfully concluded negotiations, leading to improved industrial harmony in public universities.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s resolve to sustain reforms and ensure that investments in the sector translate into improved learning outcomes and workforce readiness.
