By Isa Abdul, Abuja

The Federal Ministry of Education has expanded teacher preparation in gender-responsive pedagogy, safe learning environments and digital skills.

According to the press release by Boriowo Folasade,
Director, Press and Public Relations, the Ministry has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening teacher capacity and ensuring that every child in Nigeria learns in a safe, inclusive and supportive environment, as it deepens collaboration with UNESCO, the Government of Japan and other development partners.

The release stated that the “commitment was reaffirmed in Abuja at a three-day Master Trainers Workshop on Safe Learning Environment, Gender-Responsive Pedagogy and ICT Skills for Educators in Teacher Training Institutions.”

Representing the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, the Director of the College of Education, Dr Uchenna Uba, said increased access to education must be matched by protection, inclusion and effective learning.

She highlighted the National Policy on Anti-Bullying in Nigerian Schools and stressed the need to equip teachers to recognise abuse, respond appropriately and protect learners’ dignity and wellbeing.

According to the release, Ahmad said:

“45 master trainers from 15 teacher training institutions are being equipped with skills in gender-responsive pedagogy, safe learning environments, prevention and response to school-related gender-based violence, and ICT integration. They are expected to cascade the training to about 500 teachers and educators.”

The Ministry’s spokesperson further reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to sustained collaboration with UNESCO, Japan and the African Union to advance teacher development and inclusive education.

By Nick Ibe, Abuja

A 14-day ultimatum has been given the Federal government to release funds for the implementation of the recently signed 2026 Agreement and pay outstanding arrears, failing which the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, will shut down universities.

Following the threat, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, is said to be desperately making moves to avert the strike, by assuring that the funds would be released on or before next week.

At its 56th National Executive Council, NEC, meeting held at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, at the weekend, SSANU took the decision to down tools if the funds are not released.

Consequently, a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by its national president, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, SSANU noted that the arrears constitute legitimate financial entitlements of affected members and must be paid in full without further delay.

The communiqué stated that the meeting deliberated extensively on developments affecting the Nigerian university system, the welfare of members of the union and other issues of national importance, including the implementation of the 2026 FGN/SSANU Agreement, funding of universities, security, the economy and cost of living, public education, accreditation of university programmes, food security, technology and cybersecurity, energy, the rule of law and the general state of the nation.

The communique read:

“NEC acknowledged that implementation of the 2026 FGN/SSANU Agreement, which took effect from January 1, 2026, notwithstanding its formal signing on June 29, 2026, has commenced in some universities.

“NEC, however, expressed serious concern that implementation remains incomplete and uneven across the university system as a result of funding and administrative challenges.

“NEC categorically demanded the immediate release and payment of all outstanding arrears arising from the implementation of the 2026 FGN/SSANU CONTTA salary structure, calculated from the effective date of January 1, 2026.

“NEC stressed that these arrears constitute legitimate financial entitlements of affected members and must be paid in full without further delay. NEC further observed that universities which have so far implemented the CONTTA salary structure did so largely through internally sourced funds, without direct cash backing from the Federal Government.

“NEC therefore called on vice-chancellors and governing councils of universities that are yet to implement the financial and non-financial components of the 2026 FGN/SSANU Agreement to draw lessons from institutions that have taken proactive steps to implement the Agreement in the interest of staff welfare, industrial harmony and improved organisational performance.”

“Conclusively, NEC, in session, after exhaustive deliberations on the continued non-release of funds for the implementation of the 2026 FGN/SSANU Agreement, issued the Federal Government a 14-day ultimatum to release the required funds and ensure the full payment of all outstanding CONTTA arrears.

“NEC stressed that members have waited sufficiently for the benefits of an Agreement already concluded and therefore demand immediate and full compliance within the stipulated period.”

However, the SSANU president informed that the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had assured them that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation was working hard to ensure that the funds were released by next week at the latest.

Comrade Mohammed said the release of the funds, as promised, before the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum would avert the situation.

In his words:

“At this juncture, I must inform you, comrades, that just before this press briefing, I received a call from the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, informing me of the current progress being made on the release of the money.

“He just confirmed to me that the Director of Funds in the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Accountant-General’s Office had confirmed that the money would be released on or before next week. We hope this will be done. And if that is done, it will avert the situation. Otherwise, our ultimatum stands.”

On the payment of the outstanding two months’ withheld salaries and one-year arrears of the 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary increases, “NEC expressed serious concern over the continued non-payment of the remaining two months’ salaries withheld during the 2022 industrial action and categorically demanded the immediate release and payment of the outstanding two months’ salaries to all affected members.”

The SSANU NEC further demanded the immediate release and payment of the outstanding one-year arrears arising from the 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary increases, stressing that these are legitimate entitlements due to affected university workers and should no longer be subjected to further delay.

“NEC therefore called on the Federal Government to take immediate steps to settle these outstanding obligations in full, in order to address the financial hardship being experienced by affected members and demonstrate commitment to the welfare of university workers.”

SSANU further expressed concern over the uneven implementation of the Agreement in state-owned universities and noted the varying experiences across institutions, including developments in Ondo, Delta and Kaduna states.

“NEC strongly called on state governments and governing councils of state universities to ensure full and equitable implementation of the Agreement and to provide the necessary funding for its execution. NEC maintained that staff of state universities must not be treated as lesser partners in the Nigerian University System and cautioned that selective or delayed implementation could undermine industrial harmony.”

By Nick Ibe, Abuja

As Nigeria records increased visibility in the global university ranking, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has directed the Nigeria Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee, NiTERAC, led by Prof. Peter Okebukola, to commence the 2026 national ranking of Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

The directive comes as 29 Nigerian universities have secured places in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, up from 24 institutions in the 2026 edition.

Nigeria’s 29 ranked universities represent the highest number from any country in Sub-Saharan Africa, with five Nigerian institutions entering the global ranking for the first time.

The Federal Ministry of Education said the national ranking framework being developed by NiTERAC, in consultation with stakeholders, would assess tertiary institutions using 22 indicators designed to stimulate healthy competition, improve institutional visibility and strengthen their capacity to compete globally.

The ministry disclosed this in a statement issued by its Director, Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, which linked the increased global representation of Nigerian universities to ongoing reforms under the leadership of Alausa.

According to the ministry, the reforms are focused on research excellence, innovation, institutional performance and international competitiveness under the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative, NESRI.

The latest THE ranking shows that Nigeria’s federal universities account for a significant proportion of the country’s improved performance.

Five of the seven Nigerian universities placed within the global top 1,200 are federal institutions, representing 71.4 per cent of Nigeria’s universities in that band.

The University of Ibadan and University of Lagos retained positions in the 801–1000 band, while Ahmadu Bello University and University of Ilorin advanced into the 1001–1200 band, joining Bayero University, which retained its position in the same band.

Covenant University also retained a position in the 801–1000 band.

The Ranking, The Ranked and The “Ranker”: An appraisal of the Nigerian university system
The ministry further disclosed that federal universities occupied all six Nigerian positions in the 1401–1600 band.

Five of the seven Nigerian universities that recorded clear upward movement were also federal institutions– Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ilorin, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University and University of Benin.

Beyond the 29 institutions ranked globally, another 32 Nigerian universities were listed in THE Reporter category, bringing the total number of Nigerian institutions engaged with the ranking exercise to 61.

The ministry said the 2027 THE ranking identified Research Quality as the strongest performance pillar for Nigerian universities, while Research Environment and Teaching remained areas requiring further attention.

It said continued improvement in academic reputation, research output and productivity, doctoral output, international collaboration and institutional data reporting would be critical to sustaining the progress recorded.

The ministry described the growing participation of Nigerian universities in global rankings as more than recognition, saying the exercise would serve as a mechanism for benchmarking performance, identifying institutional gaps and accelerating continuous improvement across the tertiary education sector.

It reaffirmed its commitment to reforms aimed at advancing research excellence, teaching quality, innovation, international engagement and institutional competitiveness.