By Felix Khanoba
The Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, has reaffirmed the commitment of the administration of President Bola Tinubu to expanding non-formal education as a strategic tool for job creation, youth empowerment and skills development across Nigeria.
Alausa made this known during a special plenary session moderated by Prince Edward at the ongoing Education World Forum in London.
The session focused on the growing importance of non-formal education, soft skills and industry participation in strengthening employability and improving individual wellbeing.
Other panelists at the event included Ontario’s Minister of Education, Paul Calandra, Secretary of State for Education in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Raquel Teixeira, and International Youth Representative of the The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation, Andrea Chakma.
Speaking during the session, Alausa said the Federal Government was intensifying efforts to provide out-of-school children and vulnerable groups with access to informal learning and vocational opportunities.
“What we are doing in Nigeria is because we have a lot of out-of-school children. We have to find a way that we can quickly get them a kind of non-formal education,” the minister said.
According to him, the government has developed an Accelerated Basic Education Programme specifically designed to bridge learning gaps among children outside the conventional school system.
“We’ve created a separate curriculum for them called accelerated basic education programme, which ties them to what they should be learning in school,” he stated.
The minister explained that the government was also prioritising Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as part of broader efforts to equip young Nigerians with practical and entrepreneurial skills.
“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 that have gone to school other skill sets that they can use to benefit themselves and benefit their community,” Alausa added.
He stressed that the administration was determined to integrate entrepreneurial and digital skills into mainstream education to better prepare Nigerian youths for the future economy.
“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,” he said.
The minister highlighted several intervention programmes being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education, including the tuition-free TVET initiative, which provides vocational training, stipends and start-up support for trainees.
He also referenced the National Policy on Skills Development, designed to promote flexible learning pathways through vocational education, digital literacy and hands-on training for youths and adults outside the formal school structure.
Alausa further spoke on programmes for mass literacy, adult and non-formal education, as well as initiatives targeted at integrating the traditional Almajiri system with basic education and vocational skills acquisition.
“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 business certification to equip them with the skills they need to be able to function and do things differently,” he said.
“We are also looking at the area of digital technology to train them and equip them with digital skills.”
Concluding his remarks, the minister said the government’s overall objective was to prepare Nigerian youths with relevant competencies for both present and future opportunities.
“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,” he said.
Alausa also commended the Duke of Edinburgh for his planned visit to Nigeria in November 2025, noting that Nigeria remains part of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award Foundation.
