Education Minister Alausa: N1 Billion Federal Push to Revamp TVET Curricula

The Federal Government has channeled N1 billion through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) to overhaul technical and vocational education and training (TVET) curricula. This intervention has led to the creation of 27 new National Occupational Standards and the revision of four existing ones, as confirmed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.

Dr. Alausa made this announcement in a statement released on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah. The move underscores the Federal Government's intensified efforts to reposition TVET as a crucial pathway to employment, entrepreneurship, and enhanced economic productivity.

According to the Minister, this curriculum modernization initiative, backed by the significant N1 billion TETFUND allocation, has resulted in a total of 31 reviewed standards. Explaining the rationale behind this substantial investment, Alausa stated, “Technical and vocational education is fundamentally about skills. Everything within the polytechnic system is ultimately geared towards developing competencies that create pathways to employment, entrepreneurship, and productivity.”

He further elaborated that these new standards are meticulously designed to ensure that technical education programmes remain highly relevant to current industry demands, align with technological advancements, and capitalize on emerging economic opportunities. The reviewed standards are also expected to establish a more cohesive and integrated skills-development framework, covering training from artisan levels to National Certificates, Ordinary National Diploma (OND), and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes.

Alausa emphasized that these reforms aim to equip graduates of technical institutions with practical, market-relevant competencies, thereby boosting their employability, fostering entrepreneurship, and contributing significantly to national productivity. This curriculum intervention is part of a broader Federal Government strategy that includes restructuring the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and fortifying its capacity to effectively regulate and support polytechnics, monotechnics, and other technical institutions across the nation.

To achieve this, the Federal Ministry of Education has engaged KPMG Advisory Services to undertake a comprehensive institutional assessment of the NBTE. This assessment will involve developing a future-fit organizational structure, governance model, and operating framework for the agency. The primary objective is to transform NBTE into a high-performing regulator and a strategic enabler within Nigeria’s TVET ecosystem. The assessment will pinpoint existing gaps and identify opportunities in governance, organizational design, operational processes, workforce capabilities, and service delivery, with its findings forming the bedrock of a transformation roadmap for the board.

“The success of Nigeria’s TVET reforms depends not only on curriculum and infrastructure, but also on the strength and effectiveness of the institutions responsible for implementation and oversight,” Alausa noted. He stressed that a strengthened NBTE is vital for the realization of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the overarching goal of cultivating a skilled, productive, and globally competitive workforce.

This N1 billion curriculum intervention addresses ongoing concerns regarding the relevance of existing TVET programmes. Providing an industry perspective, Oluwole Adelokun, Partner, Strategy and Customer Solutions at KPMG Africa and KPMG Nigeria, revealed that KPMG’s assessment has uncovered both structural challenges and substantial opportunities within Nigeria’s TVET landscape. Adelokun highlighted that over 55 percent of the assessed curricula across various disciplines, including engineering, science, arts, and design, were found to be outdated.