The Minister of Education,
Tunji Alausa, has put forward a budget proposal of N2.4 trillion for the year 2026, primarily focusing on bridging teacher shortages, addressing infrastructure needs, and promoting skills development.
Alausa defended the proposed budget earlier this week during a presentation to the National Assembly’s Joint Committees on Education.
The budget is guided by the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), which prioritizes areas such as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), as well as Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medical sciences (STEMM). It also aims to reintegrate out-of-school children into mainstream education and expand opportunities for girls and access to literacy.
Additionally, he highlighted a commitment to investing in data systems, digitalization, and fostering professionalism among educators.
“Our budget thrust for 2026 is anchored on ensuring that out-of-school children return to school, making teaching and learning safer, and strengthening tertiary institutions to produce skilled manpower for national development,” Alausa stated.
Addressing Infrastructure Deficiencies
Alausa remarked that Nigeria's 13,921 public secondary schools are grappling with serious infrastructure challenges, many of which, including various Unity Colleges, are over five decades old. He underscored the necessity of reinforcing basic and secondary education within the 9-3-4 framework while recognizing ongoing hurdles such as insecurity, dilapidated facilities, inadequate funding, and weak connections to research.
To combat these issues, the minister called for ongoing legislative support.
“Our achievements stemmed from effective financial management and the backing from your esteemed Committees. We seek your continued guidance to enable the Ministry to attain more significant accomplishments and establish a sustainable legacy before the conclusion of the 2026 fiscal year,” he added.
Budget Allocation and Trends
A review of Alausa’s presentation indicates that the ministry has earmarked N966.9 billion (40.3 percent of the total budget) for universities, N633.2 billion (26.4 percent) for parastatals, N256 billion (10.7 percent) for polytechnics, N125.9 billion (5.2 percent) for colleges of education, and N155.3 billion (6.4 percent) for Unity Colleges. Furthermore, the education ministry is set to receive N257.8 billion (10.7 percent), with a contribution from UNESCO Paris estimated at N3.36 billion, which is equivalent to 0.1 percent.
The allocations for the education sector have increased over recent years, rising from N1.59 trillion in 2024 to N2.59 trillion in 2025, although the proposal for 2026 stands at a slightly lower N2.39 trillion. Despite these increases, allocations still fall short of the UNESCO-recommended range of 15-20 percent of national budgets, averaging merely 6.54 percent between 2015 and 2025.
Capital Project Execution
The ministry reported that capital project funding was inadequately performed in 2025, with only N19.5 billion disbursed from the N335.2 billion budgeted, translating to a release rate of just 5.8 percent, which is a decline from 32.4 percent in 2024. The Unity Colleges also faced challenges, particularly in recurrent allocations like meal subsidies, which were funded at only 53.4 percent of the approved budget for 2025.
Moreover, the internally generated revenue increased from N194.4 million in 2024 to N233 million in 2025, with an anticipated rise to N244.7 million for 2026.
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