ATHENA PERSPECTIVES

Reforming Nigeria’s Education System: Prioritising Skills and Employability Over Structural Adjustments

Vol. 2, Issue 13, 9-15 September, 2025

Executive Summary

Nigeria’s education system continues to face persistent challenges despite decades of reform efforts. It currently ranks 150th globally, lagging behind several regional peers, with profound implications for national competitiveness and economic growth. The Federal Government’s recent proposal to shift from the 6-3-3-4 to a 12-4 model offers an opportunity for improvement. However, focusing primarily on structural changes risks overlooking deeper systemic issues that have long undermined quality and outcomes.

The sector’s enduring weaknesses include chronic underfunding, outdated curricula, teacher shortages, inadequate technological integration, and governance inefficiencies.

This brief argues that the priority must be functional education that equips learners with practical, soft, and industry-relevant skills aligned with Nigeria’s development needs.

Drawing on international experiences from Germany, Rwanda, Ghana, Finland, and Singapore, the brief recommends:

• Curriculum reform to embed technical and vocational education and training (TVET), entrepreneurship, and digital literacy;
• Teacher development and welfare as the keystone reform;
• Phased capacity expansion in vocational training and ICT infrastructure; and
• Strong governance, transparency, and public–private partnerships to sustain reform momentum.

Achieving success will require navigating Nigeria’s complex political economy, sequencing reforms realistically, and aligning them with broader economic development strategies. Without substantive action, structural superficial adjustments will remain cosmetic. Consequently, Nigeria will forfeit the demographic and economic dividends of its young population.

Introduction: Beyond Structure to Substance in Nigerian Education

Education remains the bedrock of national progress, innovation, and competitiveness. Yet, despite several reform attempts, Nigeria’s education sector continues to underperform. The Federal Government’s recent proposal to replace the long-standing 6-3-3-4 structure with a 12-4 system has reignited debate, with some stakeholders hopeful about the potential benefits of structural change.

However, global best practice shows that while structures provide a framework, it is content and delivery — not configuration alone — that determines educational quality. Leading systems worldwide increasingly align curricula with labour market needs, digital competence, and local relevance. Nigeria, by contrast, continues to suffer from a mismatch between educational outputs and societal demands.

The statistics are alarming: Nigeria ranks 150th globally and 16th in Africa for education quality, trailing behind several West African peers. This underscores the urgency of reforms that go beyond structure. To drive sustainable change, Nigeria must pivot towards functional education by prioritising practical, industry-relevant skills, critical thinking, and innovation. These essentials must be embedded in a phased reform strategy anchored on teacher development as the foundation.

Historical Context of Reforms: Four Decades of Structural Experimentation
Over the past four decades, Nigeria has experimented with multiple structural models. Each reform was intended to improve access and quality. Yet persistent constraints (underfunding, outdated curricula, limited teacher training, and governance weaknesses) have outlived every reform.  This history underscores that structural change without systemic reform is insufficient.

Table 1: Structural Models in Nigeria’s Education System, 1983–2024

Period	Model	Structure
Pre-1983	6-5-4	Six years primary, five years secondary, four years tertiary
1983-2006	6-3-3-4	Six years primary, three years junior secondary, three years senior secondary, four years tertiary
2006-2024	9-3-4	Nine years basic education, three years senior secondary, four years tertiary
Proposed 2024	12-4	Twelve years continuous basic education, four years tertiary

Core Challenges Facing Nigeria’s Education System

Nigeria’s education sector is constrained by entrenched systemic weaknesses that diminish quality, restrict equity, and imperil long-term national competitiveness. These enduring challenges are rooted in decades of neglect.

1. Funding Constraints — Education budgets are under 10% of national expenditure, far below UNESCO’s 15–20% benchmark. This limits infrastructure, learning resources, and competitive teacher salaries.
2. Curriculum Gaps — Overly theoretical, poorly aligned with labour market needs, and deficient in problem-solving, entrepreneurial, and digital skills.
3. Technology Deficits — Widespread lack of internet access, computers, and digital learning tools hampers preparation for the digital economy.
4. Weak Vocational and Technical Education — Insufficient TVET provision fuels graduate unemployment.
5. Teacher Workforce Shortages — Poor pay and working conditions drive attrition and diminish quality.
6. Out-of-School Children — 18.3 million children remain unenrolled due to poverty, insecurity, and cultural factors.
7. Socioeconomic and Security Barriers — Insurgencies, communal conflicts, and instability hinder educational access, particularly in northern and south-eastern states.

Why Functional Education Matters for National Development

Functional education integrates theory with practice, equipping learners with the problem-solving skills, adaptability, and employability demanded by contemporary economies.

Evidence from international models underscores its transformative potential.

Table 2:  International Models of Functional Education and Nigeria-Specific Lessons

Country	Functional Education Model	Economic Impact	Nigeria-Specific Lesson
Germany	Dual vocational training system (classroom + apprenticeship)	Low unemployment, robust industrial workforce	Embed structured apprenticeships with key industries, including construction, agro-processing and ICT, replacing informal training and aligning curricula with sector growth plans.
Rwanda	ICT-focused education and vocational training programs	Growing digital economy, job creation	Harness Nigeria’s youth to develop a coding and digital services workforce for outsourcing markets; integrate ICT hubs in public secondary schools from state capitals.
Ghana	Competency-based curriculum + TVET integration	Improved employability, GDP growth	Reform TVET to adopt competency-based modules and require workplace internships in senior secondary education, with industry performance assessment.
Finland	Emphasis on creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking	High literacy, innovation-driven economy	Enhance teacher autonomy by decentralising curriculum delivery, supported with intensive pedagogy retraining and classroom resource grants.
Singapore	STEM-based, technology-focused education	Skilled labour force, global innovation hub	Align tertiary STEM programmes with national infrastructure and manufacturing priorities through industry-led advisory boards co-designing course content.

These examples confirm that skills acquisition, economic relevance, and systemic alignment deliver lasting impact.

Recommendations

As the country undertakes education reform, the process must be holistic and guided by foresight on national needs. Reforms must be tied to specific goals and clear timeframes to avoid repeating the failures of the past.

The following recommendations are proposed:

Phase 1: Foundational Reforms (1–2 years)

• Prioritise Teacher Development and Welfare as Keystone Reform: Implement competitive salaries, modern pedagogy, and professional development as the priority to enable all other reforms.
• Reform Curriculum: Integrate TVET, entrepreneurship, digital literacy, and soft skills into all levels.
• Strengthen Governance: Institutionalise transparent budgeting and anti-corruption safeguards.

Phase 2: Capacity Expansion (3–4 years)

• Enhanced Funding Mobilisation: Scale funding to gradually reach the UNESCO benchmark, and also monitor utilisation.
• Strengthen TVET: Expand apprenticeships and industry-linked certification.
• Expand Digital Learning: Prioritise rural and underserved areas.

Phase 3: Sustainability and Innovation (5+ years)

• Public–Private Partnerships: Collaborate with technology, finance, and telecom sectors.
• Institute Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) mechanism: Enable an independent, data-driven framework.
• Entrench Institutional Coordination: Formalised mechanisms for policy alignment across tiers of government.

Conclusion: Making Functional Education Nigeria’s National Priority

Nigeria’s education system stands at a decisive crossroads. The proposed 12-4 structure adjusts the framework. It will, however, remain a cosmetic shift unless functional education is embedded at the heart of reform.

Investing first in teachers is the keystone. Caring for their welfare, capacity, and professional standing will build the human capital foundation on which all other reforms depend.

Sequenced, cost-aware reforms must follow with curricula aligned to industry needs, expanded vocational and digital training, and transparent funding backed by strong governance. International examples confirm this: where skills and relevance are prioritised, education becomes an engine of innovation, growth, and national cohesion.

Over the next decade, federal and state governments must commit, politically and financially, to a unified reform agenda that connects classrooms to the economy. By doing so, Nigeria can transform its demographic potential into a competitive advantage. It will equip its youth not just to survive. It will prepare them to lead in a rapidly changing world.

Author

Chinwe Obumselu is a Research Assistant at the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership