FG to pay technical college students N45,000 monthly stipend

The Federal Government has announced a monthly stipend of N45,000 for students enrolled in technical colleges across the country.

The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.

Bugaje said the initiative forms part of a broader strategy to reposition the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector and make it a more attractive alternative to traditional university education.

Bugaje stated that the new policy aimed to fast-track the development of the TVET sector and expand enrollment at the sub-tertiary level.

He added that, beyond the monthly stipend, the government would also cover teaching fees, pay industry-based supervisors (known as ‘master class’ instructors) where students undertake industrial attachments, and finance the cost of skill certification.

The NBTE boss said: “With this, young people will find it more attractive to come to a technical college, acquire skills qualification, get jobs locally and even beyond the borders of Nigeria.

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“This way, the whole sector is being repositioned. We are at the moment facing what you may call either a resurrection or a rebirth of TVET.”

Bugaje further stated that the government of President Bola Tinubu had allocated N120 billion grant to support students under the new TVET initiative.

The grant, he said, would be disbursed through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

He added: “The N45,000 is not as a loan, but a grant. Students who enjoy this are not going to pay back.

“We want to encourage more people to enroll in technical education.”

The Star