85% Of Nigerian Foreign Scholarship Students Don’t Return, Education Minister Laments

 

The Minister of Education, Mr. Tunji Alausa, has revealed a startling trend showing that 85 percent of Nigerian students who receive government scholarships to study abroad do not return to contribute to the nation’s development. This revelation has prompted a significant shift in the country’s approach to tertiary education funding and capacity building.

Addressing a one-day engagement with university heads, bursars, and procurement directors in Lagos, Alausa outlined new reforms designed to improve efficiency and maximize the impact of public funds within the education sector. A key policy change now bars tertiary institutions with student populations below 2,000 from accessing financial support from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

“The data is clear: the majority of Nigerian students sent abroad on government scholarships end up remaining overseas, leaving the country deprived of their expertise and potential contributions,” the minister said. “Moreover, many courses they pursue abroad could be effectively offered right here at home.”

To counter this brain drain and foster local talent, the government has established 28 Centres of Excellence within public and private institutions. These centres focus on postgraduate studies, research, and job creation, positioning Nigeria as a hub for advanced education and innovation.

Alausa emphasized that the current system, which provides equal funding to institutions regardless of their size or performance, is no longer sustainable. He highlighted the inefficiency of allocating the same level of funding to polytechnics with as few as 350 students as to universities with over 18,000. “Such disparity is both wasteful and unsustainable,” he noted.

The new funding benchmark requires institutions to grow their student population beyond 2,000 within five years to remain eligible for TETFund support. Those failing to meet this threshold will have their funding suspended until they scale up their capacity.

The Minister also raised concerns about the unchecked growth of satellite campuses, describing the trend as “unsustainable and counterproductive.” He stressed the need for stringent oversight to avoid unnecessary duplication of educational mandates and resources.

Sonny Echono, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the Fund’s shift toward a performance-driven and sustainable funding model. He underlined the goal of reducing institutions’ dependence on government subventions by encouraging public-private partnerships, particularly in developing hostels, innovation parks, and service facilities.

Institutions that consistently underperform in fund utilization, fail to meet enrolment targets, or show poor academic results now face the risk of being removed from the list of TETFund beneficiaries. Echono clarified that these measures are intended not to punish, but to protect the credibility and effectiveness of the Fund’s interventions.

“This policy safeguards TETFund’s impact, ensuring resources are directed toward institutions committed to transparency, governance, and accountability,” he said.

The engagement with southern zone institutions served as a platform for reviewing the 2024/2025 intervention guidelines, fostering transparency, and promoting best practices in governance, project management, and compliance. Alausa acknowledged TETFund’s critical role in enhancing tertiary education but stressed the urgent need to ensure every naira spent yields maximum value for the country.

The Minister’s call for reform is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to improve efficiency in the public sector. “We must transform our tertiary education funding framework to better serve Nigeria’s development goals,” Alausa concluded.

As Nigeria seeks to strengthen its education system and retain its brightest minds, these reforms mark a pivotal step toward prioritizing quality, accountability, and sustainability in tertiary education funding.