Tinubu Leverages North in Push for Education and Human Capital Reform

Hassan Mustapha speaks on the many educational programs that the central government, led by President Bola Tinubu, has implemented in the past two years to revitalize human capital development, particularly in Northern Nigeria.

Facts are sacred. Views are liberated.

For a long time, severe underfunding, poor enrollment, and systemic and cultural constraints have impacted education in Northern Nigeria.

But under President Bola Tinubu, a quiet but steady transformation is taking place, one that could redefine the region’s educational future.

When you think of Asiwaju Tinubu and education, you think of his groundbreaking creation of the national student loan program, which currently provides funding for the education and maintenance of over 396,000 Nigerian students. Many may not be aware that the majority of young Nigerians who benefit from the program are Northern Nigerian students, who make up over 55% of the total beneficiary pool and, consequently, more than N45 billion of the N77 billion that the NELFUND has already disbursed.

While this historic initiative reduces the immediate financial burden on low-income households throughout the federation and prepares the youth for full participation in the knowledge-based national economy of the future, President Tinubu’s massive legacy has diverted attention from a number of other quietly implemented reforms and developments in Northern education that took place during his administration and will put the region’s students on par with their peers worldwide.

An organization is only as strong as its weakest link, according to an old axiom. One of the main and most unsolvable aspects of Nigeria’s protracted developmental quagmire has been the availability and quality of education in Northern Nigeria.

President Tinubu is now committed to transforming another liability into a significant national asset, much like the threat posed by the Atlantic’s sweeping waves and approaching waters on Lagos’ shoreline.

The Tinubu administration is constructing the foundation for an inclusive, cutting-edge, and resilient education system in Northern Nigeria by addressing the issue of out-of-school children, creating skill development centers, and updating policy frameworks.

In the North, education was in a perilous position before to 2023. More over 66% of the nation’s estimated 10.5 million out-of-school youngsters lived in the region. There was no control or formal education integration in the Almajiri system. School attendance was further discouraged by poverty, insecurity, and cultural norms, particularly for girls and children living in rural areas. The issue was exacerbated by inadequate infrastructure, out-of-date courses, and a shortage of teachers.

Despite inheriting these difficulties, President Tinubu’s administration chose structural reform over band-aid solutions. Changes in infrastructure spending are among the most obvious. A first step toward functioning learning spaces has been taken with the establishment of more than 120 learning centers spread over all senatorial districts, many of which are furnished with furniture, safe water systems, and solar power.

New integrated Tsangaya education centers have been established in Bauchi, Niger, Kaduna, and Kano states, and 101 Almajiri schools have been constructed or renovated in collaboration with UBEC.

The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education (NCAOOSCE) was created by the administration to coordinate these initiatives. The Commission established a Technical Working Group (TWG) for strategic reform and has already created the first draft of a national policy on Almajiri education.

By offering health insurance to children enrolled in school, the Federal Ministry of Health’s proposed Almajiri Health Scheme seeks to transform education into a route to wellness rather than merely literacy.

DOTS and NESRI are two historic projects at the core of Tinubu’s approach. While the National Education System Reform Initiative (NESRI) promotes structural change in curricula, learning outcomes, and school administration, DOTS concentrates on data, out-of-school children, teacher preparation, and skill development.

A new Basic Education curriculum was created as a result of these principles, and the Senior Secondary and NCE curricula are currently being reviewed. To accelerate teacher capacity, federal institutes of education implemented a dual-mode delivery system for NCE and B.Ed. In addition to curriculum review workshops in Kaduna and Kano, more than 450 Tsangaya teachers have received training, including 200 in Bauchi and 250 in Niger.

In addition, the UBEC Matching Grant Formula was updated to provide more flexibility and tie payouts to quantifiable results, enhancing fund use and promoting digital learning, quality assurance, and EMIS (Education Management Information Systems).

The practical emphasis of President Tinubu’s TVET Transformation Initiative makes it stand out. It was started with 24 core trades and offers instruction in a variety of fields, including electrical work, solar installation, digital gear repair, creative media, hospitality, and agriculture. Young people in underprivileged areas, such as the North, are the focus of this initiative’s Digital Training Academy.

In addition to being technical, the courses focus on the future. From social media communication to automobile CNG conversion, the curriculum covers both local employability and worldwide significance. The 3MTT (3 million technical talent) program, which aims to develop a workforce that is proficient in digital technology throughout all 774 LGAs, including the rural regions of Katsina, Sokoto, and Borno, matches this.

This is complemented by the STEMM Advancement Initiative, which increases the number of scientists and health professionals in Nigeria. Infrastructure improvements were made to 18 medical schools located in each of the six geopolitical zones. Accredited nursing schools climbed from 294 to 342 and the number of nursing students enrolled increased from 81,480 in 2023 to 114,030 in 2025.

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Additionally, six universities have been chosen to benefit from a strategic agreement with the EU that supports pharmaceutical research and domestic vaccine manufacture.

Girl-child education, a persistent deficiency in Northern Nigeria, has significantly improved under Tinubu’s leadership. The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, or AGILE, project was extended to 11 additional states, bringing its total number of states in the country to 18.

Furthermore, to further minimize gender disparities in schooling and create support networks for girls in disadvantaged communities, LUMINAH 2030, a new project centered on girls, was introduced in 12 trial states (two per geopolitical zone).

The administration has spearheaded daring policy changes in addition to tangible accomplishments. Improvements to the educational system and teacher training have advanced significantly since the Quality Education Learning Outcomes Council (QELOC) was established in March 2025. In order to acquire 21st-century abilities, a national leadership curriculum was designed for school heads, and a new National Teacher Training Framework and five EduRevamp modules were created.

The Ministry also unveiled the National Anti-Bullying Policy in 2025, along with implementation recommendations, in an attempt to enhance student welfare. Meanwhile, the government hopes to improve access, learning, and system-wide efficiency by implementing the HOPE-EDU plan, which will affect over 65,000 schools, 500,000 teachers, and 29 million pupils.

President Tinubu’s reforms to education stand out as one of the most planned and calculated changes in the region’s history, despite the fact that it is frequently overlooked.

The administration’s emphasis on developing human capital is gradually changing the narrative surrounding education in the north, from focused interventions in the Almajiri system to extensive vocational training and legislative changes.

Classrooms are coming back to life—not just with kids, but with a purpose—thanks to the president’s calculated involvement in education. This is consistent with the president’s statement that his objective is to “make education work for all, not some,” as some of his most ambitious and narrow-minded detractors have falsely claimed.