NewStats: 3,263,174 , 8,179,321 topics. Date: Wednesday, 04 June 2025 at 10:48 PM 1q3e72

The Minister of Education, Mr. Tunji Alausa, has lamented that 85 per cent of Nigerian students sent abroad on government scholarships never returned to contribute to national development.

This came as he announced that tertiary institutions with fewer than 2,000 students will no longer be eligible for funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

Speaking on Friday at a one-day engagement with heads of institutions, bursars, and procurement directors in Lagos, Alausa said the Federal Government was repositioning the funding framework to ensure public resources are used efficiently.

On foreign scholarships, Alausa revealed a shift in policy, explaining that more funds would now be invested in building local capacity.

He continued, “Our evidence-based analysis showed that 85 per cent of Nigerian students sent abroad on government scholarships never returned to contribute to national development. Many of the programmes they studied could have been handled effectively within our own institutions.”

To address this, he said 28 Centres of Excellence have been established across public and private institutions to offer postgraduate programmes, enhance research and create jobs.

“We are re-evaluating how institutions benefit from TETFund. We can no longer incentivise poor performance or underutilisation,” the minister said. He noted the inefficiency of allocating equal resources to underpopulated schools as those with significantly higher student numbers.

He stated, “Several polytechnics established as far back as 2019 have only between 350 to 550 students enrolled yet receive the same level of funding as institutions with over 18,000 students.

“This is inefficient and unsustainable. Therefore, we have set a new benchmark: any institution that, after five years of operation, still has fewer than 2,000 students may be deemed ineligible for TETFund until they scale up their capacity.”

Alausa said the engagement with institutions from the southern zone was aimed at reviewing the 2024/2025 intervention guidelines and fostering transparency. “There’s no doubt that TETFund has greatly benefited our tertiary institutions through numerous interventions and improvements.

“However, under the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our focus now is to ensure maximum value from every naira spent in our institutions,” he further stated.

He also raised concerns about the unchecked proliferation of satellite campuses, calling it “unsustainable and counterproductive.”

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, said the agency is moving towards a more sustainable and performance-driven funding model.

Echono stated, “The Fund has been moving toward a more sustainable model of funding. This is in line with the broader objective to reduce institutions’ reliance on government subvention and to encourage Public-Private Partnerships, particularly in areas such as hostel development, innovation parks and service facilities.”

Echono warned that underperforming institutions risk being removed from the list of TETFund beneficiaries.

“Institutional expansion must be checked, and we must avoid unnecessary duplication of mandates. Institutions that consistently fail to access, utilise, or retire funds appropriately, or that fall short of enrolment and academic performance thresholds, risk being delisted,” he warned.

He added that the goal of these new measures was not to punish, but to enhance the credibility and impact of TETFund.

He declared, “This policy is not meant to punish but to safeguard the credibility and impact of TETFund interventions. We want to ensure that the Fund’s resources are directed toward institutions committed to high standards of governance, transparency and ability.”

He concluded by calling for deeper ability and reform across the tertiary education sector.

“This engagement is a call to action. It is a platform to learn, reflect and commit to best practices in governance, project management and compliance,” he concluded.

https://punchng.com/85-of-nigerian-foreign-scholarship-students-dont-return-minister-laments/

What do you expect when all the young minds see and feel is utter hopelessness hence don't see any future prospect in their own country as a result of bad and corrupt leadership? Meanwhile;

He's wrong to have used the word "NEVER"....most of them do return but that would be maybe on a later date ...when things don soft and ground don level...

Meanwhile that's me on the last day of the scholarship program....scanning the area and scouting out for possible escape route......

you and who dey go back?......E come be say na for country like Finland!!...Choi!!!!

Racoon:


https://punchng.com/85-of-nigerian-foreign-scholarship-students-dont-return-minister-laments/

The government must also look inward—why do scholars flee? Poor incentives, weak institutions, and limited opportunities push talent away. Instead of punishing future students, fix the system that drives them out. Cutting scholarships solves nothing; fixing Nigeria’s broken academic and professional ecosystem does. Invest in competitive salaries, research funding, and infrastructure—then watch talent stay and thrive. Don’t blame the brain drain—end it.

Why would they return??

Return kwa😂😂😂

Return to what exactly as if they are guaranteed good health care,work,steady power supply and clean water. Look at him talking as if his kids are not already outside

return to do what?

Something that have an easy solution but unfortunately most of the beneficiary got it through connections
Why don't they sign a bond, get 2 guarantors who can be held responsible, track their whereabouts and alert the embassies if need be

There are a thousand ways to stop it, but No they will rather come and start creating sensational headlines

Why would they return ?

Has his kids returned back to Nigeria after their studies abroad?

Why would they return, return to where exactly, this shit hole, make una go sit down jor

Because there is no job opportunity

They should come back to do what?

I personally know of a man that sent his 2 son's to study abroad and after their graduation, they returned briefly and went back and have refused to return back again to manage their father's businesses and properties! It is over 10 years now, both married to foreigners and they are now telling their father to give out his properties to charities as they don't need them, his only sons o.

dynicks:
He's wrong to have used the word "NEVER"....most of them do return but that would be maybe on a later date ...when things don soft and ground don level...

Meanwhile that's me on the last day of the scholarship program....scanning the area and scouting out for possible escape route......

you and who dey go back?

you dont want to come back and enjoy the leadership of the most corrupt man from iragbaji,that the touts and agberos said to have built lagos state from the sea

Minister should tell us how many among the children of politicians return permanently after their parents have use public funds to relocate them abroad?

These guys thought they are the only ones that are smart enough to know that the country is not promising.

And so?

Are most of the government scholarships from the ministry not being sold?

If na you you go return? Besides where are your children that you used our resources you looted to train at same abroad?

Ask the minister of education.. where did his children school

Abeg make everyone gettat

Oga Minister, you are investing in those students. When they settle down abroad, they will start sending money to their loved ones in Nigeria. As a result, they reduce the pressure on the government to create jobs, add to our foreign remittances and establish businesses for their loved ones in Nigeria

Return back to joblessness. How?

Return to where?


Who dem go put honey for im mouth wey go spit am out? ......Clowns!

dynicks:
He's wrong to have used the word "NEVER"....most of them do return but that would be maybe on a later date ...when things don soft and ground don level...

Meanwhile that's me on the last day of the scholarship program....scanning the area and scouting out for possible escape route......

you and who dey go back?......E come be say na for country like Finland!!...Choi!!!!

I have friends for this Finland buh they ar not telling me the truth, they ar blocking my way of coming over there, pls what is really going on there that they don't wanna tell me

They can stop foreign scholarships for students but they can't stop foreign religious pilgrimage 🤡

Every year we lose billions of naira sending people to Saudi Arabia in the name of hajj as well as those going to Jerusalem, something that shouldn't even concern the government at all.

A normal country will always prioritize education and human capacity development over religion.

Benjaniblinks:
return to do what?

The thing you promised to do when you were awarded the scholarship: contribute back to the development of the country.

Would you return?
Have your children returned?

specialmati:
you dont want to come back and enjoy the leadership of the most corrupt man from iragbaji,that the touts and agberos said to have built lagos state from the sea

broooo...be it the leadership of anyone, as far as I'm concerned, Naija still got a long way to go in both leadership and good living...

If na you nko?

If na u nko?

Racoon:


https://punchng.com/85-of-nigerian-foreign-scholarship-students-dont-return-minister-laments/

How many of those scholarships are truly merit based..many are shard among the political ruling class to curry favour from their constituents.

If na you nko