The federal government says it is working towards adopting an 80 per cent practical and 20 per cent theoretical curriculum in tertiary institutions.

The reform aims to strengthen students’ skills and improve their readiness for the labour market.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, represented by the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, said this at the 2026 National Town Hall Meeting of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in Abuja.

The meeting brought together stakeholders to discuss investment in tertiary education, human capital development and national progress.

The meeting has the theme “Investing in Nigeria’s Future: Tertiary Education, Human Capital and National Development.”

Mr Alausa said the proposed reform would shift the current curriculum model of 70 per cent theory and 30 per cent practical training to 80 per cent practical and 20 per cent theory.

“The shift is intended to strengthen hands-on competency and prepare learners for modern agriculture, agribusinesses, food production, post-harvest management and agricultural environment development,” he said.

He said the curriculum reforms were designed to make education more practical, competency-based and responsive to technological advancement, industry needs and national development priorities.

Mr Alausa said the review exercise had produced 33 new and reviewed National Diploma and Higher National Diploma curricula, three National Certificate in Education curricula and 31 National Occupational Standards.

He emphasised that investment in infrastructure, staff training and laboratory equipment must be matched with appropriate curricula to ensure students acquired relevant skills.

“As we are building the infrastructure and equipping staff and faculty, we must also ensure that we have the right curriculum for the users,” he said.

The minister commended TETFund for its contributions to human capital development through investments in infrastructure, research, staff development, teaching equipment and innovation.

He said the fund’s interventions were helping to modernise tertiary institutions, improve teaching and learning, strengthen research capacity and produce graduates capable of contributing to national development.

Mr Alausa also called for stronger partnerships among TETFund, regulatory agencies, tertiary institutions, the private sector and development partners to improve the quality of education.

He said adequate funding, sound financial management and proper maintenance of facilities were essential for the sustainability of tertiary institutions.

The minister stressed the need to ensure that financial difficulties did not prevent disadvantaged Nigerians from accessing and completing tertiary education.

He said the ministry was ready to collaborate with TETFund and other stakeholders to promote demand-driven research, digital transformation, staff development and inclusive education.

He stated, “This TETFund meeting must therefore move beyond dialogue to practical recommendations and clear, concise deliverable actions.”

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sunday Echono, said more than 480 projects in beneficiary institutions across the country were ready for inauguration.

Mr Echono said 14 projects would be inaugurated at the Federal University of Aeronautics, Ezia, on October 16.

“This is what is happening all across the country: over 480 projects ready for commissioning. We are not doing their convocations; we are putting them to use,” he said.

He said the fund also established a Student Innovation fund to support students with promising ideas, including assistance with prototype development and intellectual property protection.

He stated that the initiative also connected students with industries to facilitate the commercial production of their innovations.

Mr Echono added that TETFund was supporting the construction of modern student hostels in 114 institutions and providing student transportation in 42 institutions.

He said the fund was also expanding research investments, improving access to digital learning resources and extending skills development opportunities to artisans and other workers without formal education.