The Ministry of Education, led by Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, unveiled a revised National Policy on Education in late 2025. The goal was to ensure every Nigerian child has access to digital learning, vocational training and equal education opportunities by 2030.

A Ministry press release on September 3, 2025, outlined the reforms, which began in the 2025-2026 academic session.

The changes include adding trade-focused subjects, aligning national exams like WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB, and updating the 2011 curriculum to meet current skill and technology demands.

In 2026, progress is expected to be uneven. Education funding has increased to 6.1% of the national budget, yet more than 18 million children are still out of school, showing the challenge of turning policy into results.

To make sense of these reforms, Techeconomy reviewed government reports, education forums, and global benchmarks to identify the initiatives that could affect students and teachers the most in 2026

Here’s what to watch out for in 2026:

1. Digital Transformation in Learning

Technology is now at the heart of Nigeria’s education reforms. Coding and ICT are compulsory from primary through senior secondary levels, ensuring students develop digital skills early.

The Ministry of Education has launched tools like the National e-Learning Portal and the “Inspire” platform to support both students and teachers. Partnerships with companies like AWS through the Amazon Academy Project are introducing cloud computing, machine learning, and other in-demand skills.

Artificial intelligence is also part of the plan. During the 2025 International Day of Education, the Ministry signalled its intention to integrate AI into teaching and learning, aiming to improve learning outcomes, especially in rural areas.

These initiatives are designed to create a more resilient system that reduces learning gaps and better prepares students for future careers.

2. Curriculum Change

The new curriculum focuses on practical, skills-based education. Subject loads have been reduced, and priority is given to trades, entrepreneurship, STEMM, and civic education.

The NERDC now requires every student to learn a skill through initiatives like TVET programs and Student Venture Capital Grants supporting young innovators.

The 2026 Nigeria Teachers’ Summit, scheduled for January 27–28, will focus on equipping educators with the digital and pedagogical skills needed to implement these reforms. The summit will also launch the Edurevamp Online Teacher Professional Development Portal to support teacher growth and innovation.

3. Examination Integrity Reforms

Examination malpractice has long undermined public trust. In January 2026, the Ministry announced measures to strengthen integrity in WAEC, NECO, and other exams.

Key initiatives include:

• Full migration to computer-based testing (CBT)
• Enhanced question randomisation and serialisation
• Improved biometric verification and candidate IDs
• Introduction of the Examination Learner Identity Number (ELIN) to track exam participation

These steps aim to ensure fairness, restore confidence, and encourage schools to strengthen continuous assessment programs.

4. TETFund Interventions

Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, especially polytechnics, are receiving a major boost through TETFund. Funding is aimed at turning these schools into innovation hubs and bridging the skills gap in the workforce.

In 2026, each polytechnic will receive around N1.871 billion, part of a N6.45 billion package distributed to 271 institutions. Funds are earmarked for:

• Infrastructure upgrades
• Research and innovation programs
• Modern engineering equipment
• Skills-focused curriculum improvements

Amendments to the Polytechnics Act will allow polytechnics to award bachelor’s degrees, raising their profile and relevance in national development.

5. Improved Affordability and Quality of Learning Materials

Textbook quality and affordability are also improving. The Ministry introduced a reusable textbook policy, requiring durable books designed to last 4–6 years and banning disposable workbooks.

A Book Ranking and Selection Committee, including representatives from NERDC, UBEC, NTI, and the National Senior Secondary Education Commission, now evaluates and approves textbooks.

The committee limits the number of approved books per subject, ensuring materials are high-quality, standardised, and aligned with the curriculum while reducing costs for families.

2026 could be a big year for Nigeria’s education system. From what we see, combining digital innovation, practical skills, integrity in examinations, and inclusive policies, is part of the reforms’ aim to empower a generation prepared for future challenges.

There are challenges, such as security and access issues, but international partnerships and technology adoption are helping Nigeria stay competitive globally.

Stakeholders who engage with these changes can help turn potential into measurable progress, building a smarter, more capable, and united country.

This was disclosed by NewGlobe’s Vice President for Policy and Partnerships, Mrs Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, at the recent 2025 State-Level Workshop for Foundation Learning and Out-of-School Children held in Abuja. The Nigeria Governors’ Forum organised the event in partnership with the NewGlobe.

The workshop was convened against the backdrop of a deepening crisis in Nigeria’s basic education sector, where over 10 million children remain out of school, the highest figure globally, according to UNICEF, and three out of four cannot read and understand a simple passage by age 10, as reported by the World Bank.

Despite increasing enrolments, many pupils leave school without mastering foundational skills. Discussions at the event identified the root causes as systemic: an undervalued teaching workforce, fragmented policy execution, chronic underfunding, and a misplaced emphasis on infrastructure rather than learning outcomes.

NewGlobe’s Vice President for Policy and Partnerships, Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, reinforced the urgency of the moment. “If we do not act quickly and deliberately, we will be too late for millions of children,” she warned. Describing the situation as “a system-wide emergency,” she added, “The evidence is clear: with the right tools, training, and data, foundational learning outcomes can be transformed at scale. We’re supporting states to build resilient, future-ready education systems that deliver measurable results because Nigeria’s children deserve nothing less than a system that works for every learner.”

Presenting a model for transforming foundational education, NewGlobe highlighted its evidence-backed, data-driven, and technology-enabled solution as a trusted implementation partner to state governments.

The model focuses on strengthening public education from within, equipping teachers and school leaders with real-time digital tools, structured lesson guides, continuous coaching, and performance dashboards that ensure instructional quality and accountability.

NewGlobe’s holistic approach aligns with national curricula, promotes teacher confidence, and empowers states to drive measurable learning gains across thousands of classrooms.

State-led programmes in partnership with NewGlobe, including EKOEXCEL in Lagos, KwaraLEARN in Kwara, BayelsaPRIME, in Bayelsa, Edo, and JigawaUNITE, in Jigawa, have already delivered compelling outcomes.

In Bayelsa, literacy improved by 20 percentage points in just nineteen weeks, and enrolment surged from 25,000 to over 40,000 pupils.

In Kwara, foundational literacy and numeracy deficiencies were halved in under two years, with over 60,000 additional pupils enrolled.

Lagos, once lagging in education outcomes, now leads with one of the country’s lowest learning deprivation rates. Independent evaluations confirm that students in NewGlobe-supported schools achieve learning gains up to 53% higher than peers in conventional schools.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the governor of Kwara State, in a speech delivered by NGF Education Advisor Leo The Great, stressed that improving access alone is not enough. “Access does not equal learning.

Many children sit in classrooms but leave unable to read, write, or do basic arithmetic. The priority is not more schools, but ensuring every child is truly learning. In 2025, we should have daily visibility into every public school.” Citing success in states like Kwara, Edo, Bayelsa, Lagos, and Jigawa, he added, “Structured pedagogy is working. In such schools, teacher feedback has increased by over 200 percent. That’s real behaviour change.”

Also, speaking at the event, Aisha Garba, UBEC executive secretary called for unified action, stating, “We are here to work for one client, the Nigerian child.”

She urged stakeholders to “align with our agenda, not run parallel systems,” adding that “access remains our biggest challenge,” and the intervention fund must “respond to real needs, not just check boxes for classrooms.”

“At NewGlobe, our mission is clear: to bridge foundational learning gaps and help build future-ready education systems that truly serve Nigeria’s children. We are proud of the progress achieved with our current state partners, but the need is national. We are ready to support more states committed to transforming learning outcomes, because the future of our young people depends on the quality of education they receive today,” added Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu.

NewGlobe is a trusted, evidence-backed partner for state-led foundational learning reforms in Nigeria, focused on strengthening public education systems from within.

Its science- and data-driven approach combines advanced pedagogy, detailed lesson planning, and real-time data to track progress and guide strategy.

By working closely with state governments and stakeholders, such as FGN and UBEC, NewGlobe ensures alignment with national priorities and supports scalable, sustainable reforms across the country.

As Nigeria grapples with the urgent challenge of learning poverty and an ever-growing number of out-of-school children, the workshop reaffirmed that systemic transformation is not only possible, it is already underway.

With political will, NewGlobe’s data-driven solutions, and collaborative implementation, a new era of public education is within reach.

The momentum built at this workshop signals a national commitment to ensure that every Nigerian child is not only in school but truly learning.

During the ongoing National Conference on Teacher Professional Development in Abuja, UBEC Executive Secretary Hamid Bobboyi shared this information.

He mentioned that the funds were distributed to all states across Nigeria over the past 13 years.

Bobboyi emphasized that despite the significant amount disbursed, it is insufficient to meet the training requirements of teachers.

He pointed out that the states relying heavily on federal funding for Teacher Professional Development (TPD) without contributing adequately is a significant challenge in ensuring quality learning outcomes at the basic education level.

Expressing concern about the lack of teacher training in recent years, Bobboyi cited the UBEC 2022 National Personnel Audit, which revealed that 67.5% of teachers in public schools and 85.3% in private schools had not participated in any in-service training between 2018 and 2022.

He stressed that this prevailing situation negatively impacts the delivery of quality education.

Bobboyi also expressed his dismay regarding the unfavorable learner/pupil ratio in Nigerian schools, which has resulted in poor learning outcomes.

Funds Not Yielding Results

Last year, Bobboyi faulted how funds have been disbursed without yielding remarkable results.

In a typical year, excluding the COVID-19-affected year of 2020, UBEC dispenses billions of naira annually, he said in a statement.

Based on the statement, each state receives a minimum of around N1.5 billion (presumably Nigerian Naira) individually, while the total amount disbursed across all states is at least N3 billion per year.

However, the concern raised by Bobboyi is regarding the effectiveness of the funds allocated to states and agencies for implementing basic education.

The statement questions how much of the money and resources actually reach the classroom level and make a tangible difference in teaching and learning.

Bobboyi expresses worry that success is often measured solely by the amount of money disbursed rather than the impact on education.

Despite providing resources like textbooks to states, the process of distributing these materials to schools seems to face challenges. Textbooks are sometimes left locked up in headmasters’ offices, awaiting instructions from the ministries on how to proceed.