Tinubu has removed financial barriers to education — FG

The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that no qualified student will be denied access to higher education because of financial hardship, saying recent reforms have removed financial barriers to tertiary education.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, gave the assurance during a meeting with members of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology and Speech and Language Therapy Education.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, Alausa said President Bola Tinubu’s administration is committed to ensuring that every qualified Nigerian, regardless of economic background, has access to quality higher education.

He said the administration has introduced policies aimed at expanding educational opportunities and preventing poverty from denying students access to tertiary institutions.

“Not having money or coming from an indigent family will no longer stop qualified students from achieving their educational aspirations,” the minister said.

Alausa noted that the reforms are part of the government’s broader human capital development agenda, which seeks to equip young Nigerians with the skills needed to contribute to national development.

He disclosed that the Federal Government has invested more than ₦1 trillion in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education over the past two years.

According to him, ₦250 billion has been committed to constructing new student hostels, while more than ₦150 billion has been invested in rehabilitating existing hostels, classrooms, engineering workshops and other academic facilities.

The minister also said over ₦130 billion has been allocated to rehabilitating medical schools and expanding their training capacity nationwide.

He added that another ₦52 billion has been approved for modern equipment in 18 medical schools, while nearly ₦30 billion has been invested in establishing 11 medical simulation laboratories to strengthen practical clinical training.

To improve engineering education, Alausa said the government has committed almost ₦110 billion to constructing and upgrading engineering workshops and providing modern equipment for federal universities, universities of technology and polytechnics.

He described the interventions as some of the largest investments in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector, covering infrastructure, specialised laboratories, workshops, teaching facilities and institutional capacity.

According to him, the investments are expected to improve the quality of teaching, learning and research while producing graduates with practical skills needed to drive innovation and economic growth.

Alausa reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to working with tertiary institutions and relevant stakeholders to ensure the reforms translate into improved educational outcomes and greater opportunities for students.

Earlier, the Chairman of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology and Speech and Language Therapy Education, Dr. Victoria Omua Amu, briefed the minister on the committee’s activities.

She said six Nigerian universities currently offer Audiology programmes, five offer Occupational Therapy, while three offer Speech and Language Therapy. She added that the University of Benin is expected to commence an Occupational Therapy programme in the 2026/2027 academic session.

Amu, however, identified delays in the release of TETFund support as a major challenge affecting the committee’s implementation plans.