The Federal Government has stated that its recent interventions in basic education have benefited 2.3 million learners nationwide over the past six months.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday while delivering the keynote address at the launch of the Federal Ministry of Education’s Communication Strategy (2025–2027).

He said the government plans to reintroduce the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), which was suspended in January 2024, and will use technology to ensure accountability.

“We have identified the states where we would start piloting the school feeding programme,” Alausa said.

“Mothers will be paid directly to ensure that children are fed well, and we have put mechanisms in place to guarantee transparency and accountability.”

Highlighting progress made in the last six months, the Minister said 4,900 classrooms had been constructed, 3,000 renovated, 34 model and SMART schools built, and 353,000 pieces of furniture supplied, benefiting 2.3 million learners across the country.

Alausa added that 21 states have moved their data into the Nigeria Education Data Initiative (NEDI), a centralized and secure platform for all levels of education.

“We now have the capacity to monitor a child’s education journey from primary through secondary school, with plans to extend it to tertiary education soon,” he said.

The Minister also noted that the Ministry launched a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) digital platform that attracted 1.3 million applicants within weeks, with 960,000 completing their applications. More than 1,600 accredited centres have been onboarded, and 58,000 students have already been matched to centres.

According to him, the government plans to target between 125,000 and 150,000 trainees in the next phase, with the first cohort set to begin in two weeks.

“Commencing with the 2025/26 academic year, we are providing free education in our technical schools,” Alausa said. “This covers tuition, boarding, feeding, and a monthly stipend of N22,500 to reduce financial barriers to vocational education.”

He explained that the new Communication Strategy will standardize messaging across departments and agencies, foster transparency, and improve stakeholder engagement. (Nigerian Tribune)