POLITICAL Economy

Minister Highlights Tinubu's Commitment to Non-Formal Education Initiatives

by admin on | 2026-05-20 20:58:05

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Minister Highlights Tinubu's Commitment to Non-Formal Education Initiatives

By Mohammad Bala Imam

Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, says Nigerian President Bola Tinubu remains committed to the development of non-formal education as part of efforts aimed at job creation and youth empowerment across the country.

The minister disclosed this in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, during a special plenary session moderated by His Highness, Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, at the ongoing Education World Forum (EWF) in London, United Kingdom.

According to Alausa, the Tinubu-led Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, is intensifying efforts to empower out-of-school children through informal education, while also equipping those in formal education with entrepreneurial skills as part of non-formal learning.

Other panellists at the session included the Minister of Education, Ontario, Canada, Paul Calandra; Secretary of State for Education, Rio Grande de Sul, Brazil, Raquel Teixeira; and International Youth Representative, DofE International Award Foundation, Andrea Chakma.

Alausa outlined Nigeria’s wide range of informal education programmes targeting out-of-school youths, adults, and vulnerable populations. He said these initiatives are designed to bridge literacy gaps, provide vocational and technical skills, and integrate marginalised groups into the economy.

“What we are doing is because we have a lot of out-of-school children.

“As such, we have to find a way that we can quickly get them a kind of non-formal education.

“We’ve created a separate curriculum for them called an accelerated basic education program which ties them to what they should be learning in school.

“We’ve heavily focused on technical vocational education, which is still a form of formal education but in a non-formal setting to give people who have gone to school other skill sets, that they can use to benefit themselves and their community.

“Most of our youths are in schools and we as a government have to find a way to give them other forms of non-formal education while they are within the formal setting,” Alausa said.

Among the programmes highlighted by the minister is the TVET initiative, a flagship programme of the Federal Ministry of Education offering tuition-free vocational training, stipends, and start-up support to close skills gaps, boost entrepreneurship, and support the national policy on skills development. 

The policy promotes flexible learning pathways by integrating hands-on training, digital literacy, and vocational skills for out-of-school youths and adults.

He also referenced programmes for mass literacy, adult and non-formal education, which coordinate nationwide functional literacy, post-literacy, and continuing education initiatives.

Alausa further highlighted the role of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education (NCAOOSCE), which focuses on integrating the traditional Qur’anic (Almajiri) system with basic and vocational skills training.

“We have also now infused what we call entrepreneurial training in these kids.

“Whatever level of courses they are studying, they go through our entrepreneurship, innovation, and business certification to equip them with the skills they need to be able to function and do things differently.

“We are also looking at the area of digital technology to train them and equip them with digital skills,” said Alausa.

The session examined the importance of non-formal education and soft skills, providing participating education ministers an opportunity to discuss how industry can contribute to improving individual well-being and enhancing employability.

“The whole goal of what we are doing here is to really get them the skills.

“Skills for the present and skills for the future.

“We are also looking at the other special abilities our teaming youths have,” said Alausa.

He also lauded the Duke of Edinburgh for visiting Nigeria in November 2025 and noted that Nigeria is part of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award Foundation.