Nelson Mandela’s timeless words statement: “Education is the most powerful weapon one can use to change the world” captures the very essence education remains central to national progress. With over 220 million people, experts insisted that education holds the key to unlocking opportunities, tackling poverty and building a skilled workforce necessary for Nigeria to compete in a rapidly evolving global economy. They averred that without robust investment in learning, the country’s vast human potential risks being wasted.

Across Nigeria, like the rest of the world, education is a vital pathway to personal growth, social mobility and national cohesion. It fosters critical thinking, nurtures innovation and equips individuals with skills necessary to participate meaningfully in society. From enabling citizens to communicate effectively to building expertise in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), education touches every sector of national life. Its impact extends far beyond the classroom, shaping communities, strengthening institutions and stabilising democracies.

But despite its undeniable importance, Nigeria’s education system is confronted with numerous challenges – millions of children are out of school while those within the system often struggle with overcrowded classrooms, shortage of teachers, poor infrastructure and outdated learning materials. These systemic constraints have led to declining learning outcomes and widened disparities between urban and rural learners.

The consequences of inadequate investment are visible in the skills gap, rising unemployment and inability of many young people to compete in modern labour markets.

A major constraint to addressing these challenges is underfunding. Nigeria has consistently fallen short of the UNESCO’s recommended national education budget of 15 to 20 per cent. Stakeholders believe that with adequate funding, Nigeria can address its learning crisis, reduce the burden on parents and build a system that supports creativity, resilience and innovation.

This was the central message of the Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono recently while delivering the 13th Convocation Lecture at the Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja.

Speaking on the topic, ‘Redefining the Nigerian Education System for the 21st Century Workforce’, Echono stressed that both the government and key stakeholders must step up education financing to ensure that schools are properly furnished with digital resources, modern laboratories and competent teachers.

He pointed to such countries as Rwanda and Kenya, which devoted 18 per cent and 16 per cent of their national budgets respectively to education in 2021, as examples of how increased investment can drive notable improvements in educational outcomes.

Echono added that Nigeria’s curriculum across all levels of learning needs a comprehensive redesign to align with the demands of today’s global workforce.

“Current curricula, especially at the secondary and tertiary levels, do not reflect the job market demands of the 21st century. Aligning Nigeria’s education curriculum with global labour market demands is crucial for preparing students for the future workforce, which is increasingly shaped by technological advancements, automation and globalisation.

“The Nigerian curricula should integrate digital literacy, entrepreneurship education and technical skills across all education levels. Subjects such as data science, renewable energy technologies, Artificial Intelligence and financial literacy should be common in secondary and tertiary institutions,” he said.

The TETFund boss admonished that for Nigeria’s education system to be rightly positioned for the 21st century workforce, the country needs to institute comprehensive professional development framework whereby the teachers are empowered with the relevant skills and resources necessary for modern pedagogy.

Also, to address the high unemployment rate faced by the country, Echono harped on the need to provide entrepreneurship education and training that equips students with skills and mindset to become job creators rather than job seekers.

“By providing entrepreneurship education and training, tertiary institutions can help foster a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, leading to the creation of new businesses, jobs and industries.”

He observed that technical and vocational education and training were underutilised despite their great potential towards addressing the country’s high rate of youth unemployment.

He, therefore, urged the country to draw inspiration from the successful models of vocational systems in countries like Germany and South Korea, which implemented dual education systems that combine academic education with vocational training.

“Far-reaching reforms that promote vocational education and training are crucial for equipping Nigerian students with practical skills directly applicable to the job market.

“The mandatory skill qualification policy and the introduction of the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) for promoting hands-on skills acquisition, being championed by NBTE, aimed to integrate vocational training into the mainstream education system. Additionally, the new technical and vocational education and training (TVET) initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education is highly commendable,” he said.

The Executive Secretary further described STEM education as a veritable platform for building essential skills such as critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving, which prepare students for a technology-driven workforce and facilitate innovation to address real-world challenges. While priority attention is increasingly accorded STEM education in the country, he expressed the need to further deepen commitment and funding to enhance graduates’ competitiveness for the 21st-century workforce.