TETFund urges Nigeria to raise education funding to UNESCO’s 15-20 percent target, warning current seven percent risks harming national development

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund has warned that Nigeria risks further educational setbacks unless it significantly increases budgetary allocation to the sector, urging the government to meet the UNESCO benchmark of 15 to 20 percent.

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The TETFund Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, issued the caution on Tuesday while delivering the 13th Convocation Lecture at Nile University, Abuja.

Echono noted that Nigeria’s current seven percent budgetary allocation to education was grossly inadequate for a country seeking to prepare its youths for a rapidly evolving global workforce.

He stressed that meaningful progress would depend on stronger investment in digital tools, modern laboratories and well-trained instructors.

He pointed to Rwanda and Kenya, which allocated 18 percent and 16 percent of their national budgets to education in 2021, explaining that their commitments had produced remarkable improvements in learning outcomes.

According to him, Nigeria’s curriculum at all levels needed a sweeping redesign to reflect the demands of the 21st century.

He said that secondary and tertiary institutions must integrate digital literacy, entrepreneurship and technical skills, and include subjects such as data science, artificial intelligence, renewable energy technologies and financial literacy.

Echono observed that despite the country producing thousands of graduates every year, youth unemployment continued to soar because the system was severely misaligned with global labour needs.

He described the strengthening of ICT integration as essential for future-proofing the TETFund vision for education.

He also called for a nationwide professional development framework to equip teachers with modern pedagogical skills. This, he said, was key to reshaping the quality of instruction and ensuring Nigerian learners remain competitive.

Echono further encouraged tertiary institutions to embrace entrepreneurship education that would help students become job creators rather than job seekers.

He said that vibrant innovation ecosystems could emerge once students received the necessary training to build new businesses and industries.

On vocational education, he expressed concern that Nigeria had yet to maximise its potential despite high youth unemployment.

He urged policymakers to study successful dual-training models in Germany and South Korea, saying that far-reaching reforms would help embed practical skills across the system.

He described the National Skills Qualification Framework and recent reforms by the Ministry of Education as steps in the right direction.

Echono also emphasised the importance of STEM education as a platform for nurturing critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving, core competencies needed in a technology-driven economy.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Nile University, Prof. Dilli Dogo, warned that 40 to 50 percent of executive jobs could become obsolete within two years.

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He said that for Nigeria to remain competitive, university graduates must become innovative thinkers capable of contributing meaningfully to national development.