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Entrepreneurship Development And Our Educational Curriculum
Entrepreneurship Development And Our Educational Curriculum
It is encouraging to note that our education ministry officials are fast moving away from needless and controversial policies to more impactful ones that are geared towards revolutionising our archaic education policies and tertiary Institutions’ curricula
Dr. Tunji Alausa on assumption of office as education minister, quickly announced the reversal of the admission age benchmark for tertiary Institutions in the country from 18 years to 16 years. There were more pressing and important problems or issues to be resolved by the ministry, especially the recently announced release of N50 billion by the federal government to the academic and non-academic staff unions of federal universities for the settlement of earned allowances, as promised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
You can fact-check me but I believe that this is the longest time ASUU has spent in school without a strike after the inauguration of a new government. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR has been in office for nearly two years and there has been no strike by ASUU since 2023. It means we are gaining some stability in the administration of our educational sector.
“You cannot be building mosques alone, you must build mosque goers too”, according to a Hausa proverb, underpinning the importance of not only building classrooms but improving on the welfare and proficiency of the classroom teachers.
The recent furore over a young lady’s viral video about the conditions of service of the NYSC, against the backdrop of hard economic policy reforms, brought to the fore, the debate about the viability, and usefulness of the NYSC. It brought back questions about the aims of establishing the corps in the first place. It also brought to the front burner, the damage done by scrapping history from our education curricula, and the subtle backdoor efforts of smuggling in and embedding alien education materials, aimed at disorienting our children and our youths.
It is encouraging to note that our education ministry officials are fast moving away from needless and controversial policies to more impactful ones that are geared towards revolutionising our archaic education policies and tertiary Institutions’ curricula.
Dr. Tunji Alausa on assumption of office as education minister, quickly announced the reversal of the admission age benchmark for tertiary Institutions in the country from 18 years to 16 years. There were more pressing and important problems or issues to be resolved by the ministry, especially the recently announced release of N50 billion by the federal government to the academic and non-academic staff unions of federal universities for the settlement of earned allowances, as promised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
You can fact-check me but I believe that this is the longest time ASUU has spent in school without a strike after the inauguration of a new government. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR has been in office for nearly two years and there has been no strike by ASUU since 2023. It means we are gaining some stability in the administration of our educational sector.
“You cannot be building mosques alone, you must build mosque goers too”, according to a Hausa proverb, underpinning the importance of not only building classrooms but improving on the welfare and proficiency of the classroom teachers.
The recent furore over a young lady’s viral video about the conditions of service of the NYSC, against the backdrop of hard economic policy reforms, brought to the fore, the debate about the viability, and usefulness of the NYSC. It brought back questions about the aims of establishing the corps in the first place. It also brought to the front burner, the damage done by scrapping history from our education curricula, and the subtle backdoor efforts of smuggling in and embedding alien education materials, aimed at disorienting our children and our youths.
Our cultural heritage has been under attack for many decades, and institutions such as the NYSC meant to foster unity, tolerance, and patriotism amongst us, are under severe attack for the wrong reasons. Unity colleges, and all other tertiary institutions across the country were built to foster unity and tolerance amongst us considering our ethnic diversity. This is in the same vein with the NYSC programme.
Back in the days when I was just graduating from the university, our elders used to lament about the quality of graduates produced from Nigerian higher institutions. They labelled us half-baked. Today, the products are hardly baked at all and are just a pudding of misadventure, hauled up as one piece, meant to be a product of rigorous academic and moral learning.
The industrial training programmes in our tertiary institutions coupled with the NYSC programme, are the hands-on, skill-infused learning segments that translate academic learning to practical workplace schedules. The NYSC and similar institutions must be utilised in driving the skill and entrepreneurial development disposition of the education ministry if it is to succeed in promoting skills acquisition and entrepreneurship.
The almajiri system just like the NYSC, is to be positioned as a skill and entrepreneurship hub. Dr. Tunji Alausa, the education minister, is redefining the ministry’s approach to almajiri education, aiming to integrate it with the formal education system and equipping almajiris with skills for self-sufficiency.
This entails not only bridging the gap between traditional religious learning and western education, which would provide access to basic literacy but also developing the vocational skills of the almajiris at the same time. This new approach seeks the collaboration of religious leaders to ensure the long-term success of the reform. The approach envisions a seamless transition of the almajiri from the almajiri system to the nation’s higher education system. For example, in addition to Islamic studies, students would be taught tailoring, carpentry, plumbing, farming, and IT literacy to mention a few. The new approach by the minister will at the end of the day eliminate the students of the almajiri system from the out-of-school children populace, as the almajiri system would have in place a very robust system of learning and skills acquisition.
Systemic deep reforms are being carried out in the education sector. No wonder ASUU is not “vexing” again. NELFUND is taking care of Nigerian students, both in tuition and stipends/ welfare coverage that makes learning possible and more conducive. Those coveted results are now attainable as students and parents are allowed the necessary breathing space over educational sponsorship.
TETFUND is being repositioned to address the tailored needs of institutions aside from the blanket approach for all institutions with varying needs and demands. Both the public and private sector stakeholders are keying into the systemwide reforms and once these are sustained and pursued vigorously, we will have a better educational eco-system that produces real-time solutions to our unique societal needs, as opposed to churning out more problems onto the myriads of existing ones.
Sterling Bank Names First Beneficiaries of ₦2B ‘Beyond Education’ Fund
Lagos, Nigeria – August 7, 2025 – Sterling Bank, Nigeria’s leading financial institution, has announced the first recipients of its ₦2 billion Beyond Education Scholarship, a groundbreaking nationwide initiative designed to fund university education for 600 exceptional young Nigerians and connect them to future careers in high-impact sectors.
The announcement reflects a major step in the Bank’s commitment to long-term, inclusive national development through strategic investment in human capital.
At its core, the Beyond Education program is built not just to provide scholarships, but to create real-world pathways to employment and socio-economic mobility.
Launched in June 2025, Beyond Education is Sterling Bank’s most ambitious education-focused intervention to date. The scholarship fully covers undergraduate tuition at two forward-looking, accredited institutions, Miva Open University, Nigeria’s first licensed online private university, and Hillside University of Science & Technology (HUST), a STEM-centered campus in Ekiti State.
Unlike conventional scholarship programs, Beyond Education is intentionally designed to support Nigeria’s critical development agenda. It aligns with Sterling’s HEART strategy, an investment framework focused on Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Transportation.
The goal is to build a talent pipeline for sectors that are vital to the country’s future.
“This is more than a scholarship. It’s a national development strategy,” said Obinna Ukachukwu, Growth Executive for Consumer and Business Banking at Sterling Bank. “We’re closing the gap between education and employability. Our mission is to prepare young people for the future of work in sectors that matter most to Nigeria’s progress.”
The first 30 scholars were selected through a transparent, community-driven voting process open to Sterling Bank account holders. All nominees were thoroughly vetted to ensure they met admission requirements at the partner universities.
The inaugural winners are:
Abdulahi Afolabi, Damilare Tijani, Abdulwahab Eniafe, Abubakar Isah, Tahir Enesi Ibrahim, Julius Agbene Agbo, Chinedu Kelechi Patrick, Ayomide Ojo, Fyneseed Nwogu, Miracle Woyinmomoemi Daniel, Serene Clinton, Temiloluwa Orekunrin, Udeme Umoh, Victor Esogwa, Rosemary Kosipre, Ali Mohammed, Usman Isiaka Ololade, Kayode Aikulola, Saviour Philip, Ademola Afolabi, Emmanuel Enekwa, Bashir Sani Ibrahim, Ezekiel Adeseye, Deborah Umeaku, Abba Kaka Lawan, Haisam Sunusi Mahmuda, John Gumuan, Afan Ajiji, Bajepade Kehinde, and Chioma Igwe.
While the scholarship covers full tuition, recipients are responsible for associated costs such as internet access, learning materials, and living expenses, a structure designed for sustainability and scale.
To ensure effective rollout, nominations for the next round of candidates will pause until September 2025.
However, voting remains open, and verified nominees are encouraged to continue engaging their communities as the next cohort will be selected in the coming weeks.
With 570 scholarships still to be awarded, Sterling Bank remains committed to expanding access to quality education and helping shape a future-ready workforce for Nigeria.
About Sterling Bank
Sterling Bank is a leading Nigerian financial institution recognized for its innovative HEART strategy, which channels investment into Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Transportation. The Bank is widely known for its inclusive banking models and purpose-led initiatives that deliver measurable impact. Learn more at www.sterling.ng.
The entire family of Nafisa Abdullah Aminu proudly present her to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, GCFR, the Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni and the entire Nigerians for recognition after emerging the Best in the world at the UK Global finals 2025 TeenEagle English Language skills Competition recently held at London, UK.
Nafisa, who is just 17 years old, represented Nigeria through the Nigerian Tulip International College, Yobe state, beating 69 countries and 20,000 students that participated , to achieve the enviable position of the World Best in English Language skills.
The Nafisa family is particularly grateful to the Yobe Governor’s efforts in education development that attracted global honour to the nation.
We pray that our daughter would be celebrated and recognised with the National Honours as she made Nigeria proud in achieving significant success in defeating all European native English speakers and other countries.
Hassan Salihu
For the family
HAMZAT URGES STUDENTS TO EMBRACE LEARNING FOR FUTURE SUCCESS
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has urged Nigerian students to continually seek knowledge and self-improvement to achieve success in all aspects of life.
The Deputy Governor made this remark at Texem’s 15th Anniversary, Youth Leadership Workshop, with the theme “You are a leader: You Matter, You can,” held on Saturday at Anthony, Lagos.
Hamzat, while admonishing the students who attended the workshop from various schools, emphasized the imperative of hard work and commitments to probity and integrity.
According to Hamzat, “The essence is that no matter what you do, you must keep educating your mind. It doesn’t matter whether you’re from a privileged background or not; if you don’t educate your mind, you will not do well. It’s not a curse. It’s just the way God has designed it. You must educate your mind, you must keep learning.”
Besides, the Deputy Governor was of the view that there are no shortcuts in life to success and that, as students, they will have different ambitions for their futures, but there are etiquettes, there are protocols which must be followed, and they must pursue their goals in line with the above-stated norms.
“In life, success is never served a la carte, but by deliberate actions and focus, and one must work at it”, he added.
While reeling out the different initiatives put in place by the Lagos government, Hamzat said the government focuses on teachers’ capacity building, unlike other states, which focus on elevating schools.
He added that the present administration believes that the better they train the teachers, the more the students will do well, adding that while it is good to elevate schools ( which is fantastic), structural elevation doesn’t teach. But the teachers are the ones who actually do the teaching and impart the knowledge.
Hamzat further advised the students to shun the temptation of ethnic or tribal bigotry, by seeing every other person as a Nigerian irrespective of the tribe or religion. “So relating to people as Nigerians should not be based on tribe or even religion. We have gotten to a stage in our country where we’ve allowed tribe and religion to divide us, instead of cementing us as an indivisible entity”.
Earlier in his welcome and opening address, the Founder, Texem UK, Dr. Alim Abubakre stated that the workshop is about those who will raise the bar in the areas of legacy and impact and in the areas of transforming society.
“This workshop is about you, and it’s designed to help the students discover the inherent leadership in you”, he said. advised the students to strive to be impactful in life, that they only need audacity and to believe in themselves
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