The Tertiary Education Trust Fund has urged the Federal Government to increase funding for the education sector and embark on a major overhaul of the national curriculum to meet modern workforce demands.
TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, made the call on Tuesday while delivering the 13th Convocation Lecture of Nile University in Abuja. His lecture was titled “Redefining the Nigerian Education System for the 21st Century Workforce.”
Echono said Nigeria must work toward meeting the UNESCO benchmark of dedicating 15–20 per cent of national budgets to education, far above the current seven per cent allocation.
“For us to build a competitive and future-ready workforce, Nigeria must significantly scale up investment in education. We are still operating far below global standards,” he said.
He noted that countries like Rwanda and Kenya recorded major improvements in their education sectors after allocating 18 per cent and 16 per cent of their national budgets, respectively, in 2021.
Echono stressed that Nigeria’s curriculum at all levels was outdated and disconnected from present-day labour demands.
“Current curricula, especially in secondary and tertiary institutions, do not reflect the realities of the 21st-century job market,” he stated.
“Our education system must integrate digital literacy, entrepreneurship, data science, renewable energy technologies, artificial intelligence, technical skills and financial literacy if we want our graduates to compete globally.”
He explained that although Nigeria produces thousands of graduates annually, unemployment and underemployment remain high because the system fails to equip students with market-ready skills.
According to him, strengthening ICT integration, improving teachers’ capacity and expanding access to modern learning tools are central to repositioning the sector.
Echono also advocated stronger entrepreneurship education, saying universities should help young people develop the mindset and abilities needed to create jobs.
“We must empower students to become job creators rather than job seekers. Entrepreneurship education can stimulate innovation and lead to the birth of new industries,” he said.
On vocational and technical education, Echono expressed concern that skills-based training remained underutilised despite its potential to reduce youth unemployment.
He cited Germany and South Korea as countries whose dual education models effectively combine academic learning with hands-on skills training.
He welcomed the National Skills Qualification Framework and ongoing reforms spearheaded by the National Board for Technical Education, describing them as key steps toward mainstreaming vocational education.
Echono also emphasised the importance of STEM education in building critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving abilities needed in a technology-driven world.
Earlier in his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of Nile University, Prof. Dilli Dogo, warned that emerging technologies would render many executive roles obsolete in the coming years.
“In the next two years, 40 to 50 per cent of executive jobs will disappear. If we must remain relevant, we need creative, innovative thinkers who contribute directly to national development,” Dogo said.
