Echono urges FG to raise education funding, overhaul curriculum for 21st century needs
By Uji A.Iliyasu, Abuja
Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, has reiterated the urgent need for Nigeria to significantly increase its investment in education, warning that the country risks falling further behind in global competitiveness if it continues to allocate only 7 percent of its national budget to the sector.
Speaking on Tuesday while delivering the 13th convocation lecture of Nile University, Abuja, on the theme, “Redefining the Nigerian Education System for the 21st Century Workforce,” Echono insisted that Nigeria must strive to meet the UNESCO benchmark of 15–20 percent budgetary allocation to education.
He noted that adequate funding is critical to equipping schools with digital tools, modern laboratories, and qualified instructors.
Citing Rwanda and Kenya as examples, Echono explained that their 18 percent and 16 percent budgetary allocations to education in 2021 had helped them achieve notable progress in educational development. He argued that Nigeria must take similar bold steps if it intends to prepare its young population for the demands of a rapidly evolving global workforce.
According to him, Nigeria’s current curriculum at both secondary and tertiary levels is outdated and misaligned with the realities of the global labour market, an issue he said contributes to the country’s rising youth unemployment despite producing thousands of graduates annually.
“Current curricula do not reflect the job market demands of the 21st century. Subjects such as data science, renewable energy technologies, artificial intelligence, and financial literacy should be mainstream in our institutions,” he said.
Echono lamented that only 35 percent of Nigerian students had access to internet services in 2020, attributing the low figure to inadequate broadband infrastructure, especially in rural areas. He stressed that integrating ICT into teaching and learning was no longer optional but essential for building a technologically competent workforce.
He further advocated a comprehensive professional development framework for teachers, ensuring they are equipped with modern pedagogical skills. Without a well-trained teaching force, he warned, efforts to modernise the education sector would remain superficial.
To address the country’s soaring unemployment rate, the TETFund boss highlighted the need for stronger entrepreneurship education. He argued that empowering students with entrepreneurial skills and an innovation-driven mindset would help transform them from job seekers into job creators.
Echono also criticised the underutilisation of technical and vocational education and training (TVET), describing it as a missed opportunity in the fight against youth unemployment. He urged Nigeria to emulate the vocational training models of Germany and South Korea, which combine academic learning with hands-on skills acquisition.
He commended ongoing reforms such as the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) championed by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the new TVET initiatives of the Federal Ministry of Education, describing them as steps in the right direction.
On the importance of STEM education, Echono noted that Nigeria must deepen its investment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to ensure its graduates remain competitive in a technology-driven world.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, Vice Chancellor of Nile University, Prof. Dilli Dogo, stated that 40–50 percent of executive jobs are expected to become obsolete within the next two years due to rapid technological changes. He emphasised the need for creativity, innovation, and deliberate contributions by university graduates to national development.
The convocation lecture set a clear agenda: for Nigeria to thrive in the future, it must reform and significantly fund an education system capable of producing skilled, innovative, and globally competitive citizens.