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FG gets $25.35m Kuwait loan to tackle Kaduna out-of-school crisis

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The Federal Government has secured a $25.35 million concessionary loan from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development to support a major initiative aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children in Kaduna State.

The facility, signed on behalf of the Kaduna State Government, forms part of a broader $62.8m blended financing package with international development partners designed to expand access to quality and inclusive education in one of the country’s most affected regions.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Director of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Mohammed Manga, the loan is expected to finance the Reaching Out-of-School Children programme, a large-scale intervention targeting vulnerable populations, including girls, children with disabilities, and internally displaced persons.

The statement read, “In a significant step towards improving access to quality education in Nigeria, the Federal Government and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development have partnered to support the Reaching Out-of-School Children programme in Kaduna State.

“This partnership is built on a $25.35m concessionary loan agreement signed today between the Federal Government of Nigeria, on behalf of Kaduna State and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.
“The facility forms part of a wider $62.8m blended package with international partners that will expand access to quality, inclusive education and improve learning outcomes for some of Nigeria’s most vulnerable children.”

The programme is set to enrol over 100,000 children, construct or upgrade more than 200 schools, and improve both the learning environment and the capacity of teachers in underserved areas across the state.

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The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, who was represented at the signing by the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, said the programme highlights the government’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and measurable outcomes in social sector investments.

He noted that with millions of children still out of school, particularly in northern Nigeria, each dollar of intervention must translate into real and visible progress.

He also commended Kaduna State for its proactive leadership and strong engagement with partners, expressing confidence that the initiative could serve as a model for replication across other states.

According to the statement, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, reaffirmed the state’s prioritisation of education, disclosing that Kaduna had already fulfilled its counterpart funding commitment of $1m.
He said the state had increased the education sector’s share of the 2025 budget to 26 per cent, as part of a broader commitment to human capital development.

Under the framework of the new programme, 102 new climate-resilient schools will be built while 170 existing schools and learning centres will be rehabilitated, with particular emphasis on marginalised groups and hard-to-reach communities.

The Director-General of the Kuwait Fund, Dr Wahid Al-Bahar, described the project as an investment in hope, noting that its goals extend beyond infrastructure.

He said the fund was proud to support an initiative that aims to guarantee access to learning for every child, stressing that success would be judged by improved enrolment, stronger learning outcomes, and community engagement.

The other partners in the financing structure include the Islamic Development Bank, which is contributing a $10.5m loan; the Global Partnership for Education, offering a $15.45m grant; the Education Above All Foundation, with a $10m grant; and Save the Children International, which is providing $0.5m in technical assistance. Kaduna State’s contribution stands at $1m.

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The Federal Ministry of Finance is expected to oversee the programme’s fiduciary processes and coordinate results reporting in collaboration with the state and partner organisations.
This will involve routine joint assessments covering enrolment rates, teacher training metrics, and academic performance indicators to ensure the programme delivers measurable and sustainable impact.

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Education

Suspended FUOYE SUG president reinstated — NANS

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The National Association of Nigerian Students has announced the reinstatement of the suspended Students’ Union Government President of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) , James Adio.

NANS President, Akinteye Babatunde, disclosed this in a post on X on Wednesday, after it disclosed that university’s Senate would consider Adio’s suspension following what it described as high-level engagement with the institution’s management.

“Finally, Comrade Adio, the FUOYE SUG President, has been officially reinstated,” Babatunde wrote.

PUNCH Online had earlier reported that NANS said it secured the reinstatement of some previously suspended students after discussions with the university authorities.

According to the student body, the intervention followed sustained talks with the management over disciplinary actions taken against some students.

Babatunde had said, “The University Senate will convene on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, to give Comrade James Adio fair consideration and the necessary support that will serve both the interest of justice and his academic pursuits going forward.”

He also stated that the affected students had been reinstated and allowed to sit for their examinations.

Adio was earlier suspended alongside two other students over alleged financial irregularities linked to practical fees, a decision that sparked criticism from NANS.

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JAMB axes affiliated degree courses in colleges of education; read details

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has formally ended admissions into affiliated degree programmes run by colleges of education, marking a major shift in Nigeria’s teacher education system and effectively making the Nigeria Certificate in Education the sole entry route into the institutions from the 2026/2027 academic session.

The decision is contained in JAMB’s newly released NCE/ND Agric Registration Guidelines issued by the Office of the Registrar in June 2026.

Under the new policy, the board declared that “no admission into any affiliated programme in any college of education from the 2026/2027 session.”

JAMB also ruled out direct admission into 100 and 200 levels in colleges of education, insisting that all fresh entrants must now come through the NCE programme.

“With effect from 2026/7 session, no admission into 100 or 200 Level is allowed into any college of education. All entrants are through NCE,” the board stated.

The development signals the end of an era for affiliated degree programmes, which for decades enabled colleges of education to award university degrees through partnerships with conventional universities.

The reform is expected to affect thousands of candidates who applied for degree programmes through affiliated colleges of education for the 2026 admission cycle.

To cushion the impact, JAMB outlined options for candidates who had already selected affiliated colleges of education for degree programmes through Direct Entry.

According to the board, affected candidates may apply for a change of institution at no cost, transfer to the parent university to which the degree programme is affiliated, or allow their second-choice institution to become their first choice for admission processing.

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“A candidate may choose to be moved to the parent university to which the degree programme is affiliated,” the board said.

JAMB added that candidates wishing to switch institutions had been given up to June 22 to complete the process.

Similarly, candidates seeking 100-level admission into affiliated colleges of education through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination have been presented with three options: change institution, elevate their second-choice institution to first choice, or migrate to the NCE programme.

The board said candidates who opted for the NCE route would be required to obtain an O-Level verification code from the relevant examination body and pay only N700 as registration fee on the JAMB portal.

“The candidate may be moved to the NCE programme of the institution, on the understanding that the choice of the college of education indicates an interest in pursuing the NCE qualification,” JAMB explained.

The guidelines further stipulate that every application for NCE admission is a deliberate choice and that candidates recommended for NCE admission would have any ongoing UTME or Direct Entry admission process suspended.

“Anyone who chooses NCE and s/he is proposed/recommended would have any ongoing UTME/DE process suspended,” the board stated.

For candidates who have already applied through the 2026 UTME mode, JAMB said their details would be automatically migrated to their chosen first-choice college of education or agric-related non-technology ND programmes.

The board also introduced mandatory O-Level verification for all NCE applicants, pegging the verification fee at N1,500 for one sitting and N2,000 for two sittings.

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JAMB urged colleges of education, institutional professional registration centres, accredited CBT centres and its officials across the country to study the new guidelines and ensure strict compliance.

“All PRCs, IPRCs and officers of the board are to study the guidelines and ensure strict compliance with the information contained therein,” the Registrar stated.

Affiliated degree programmes have long served as a pathway for colleges of education to offer Bachelor’s degrees in partnership with universities, allowing students to earn university degrees while studying in the colleges.

However, the new JAMB policy effectively ends that arrangement for new admissions from the 2026/2027 academic session, reinforcing the NCE as the foundational qualification for teacher education in Nigeria.

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FUOYE suspends two students over leaked private video of suspended ex-SUG president

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The management of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), has suspended two students with immediate effect over allegations that they cyberbullied the institution’s suspended Students’ Union Government president, James Iyanuoluwa Adio.

This was contained in a statement published on the university’s official news portal on Friday, attributed to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Professor Tajudeen Opoola, who is the Acting Vice-Chancellor.

The two students, identified as Alao Iyanuoluwa Odunayo and Olawale Abiodun Samuel, were accused of conspiring to cyberbully Adio “by posting his private affairs online for Adio’s inability to meet their financial demands.”

The management said it frowned at the duo’s involvement in what it described as conduct capable of denting the image of the university.

It added that investigations into the matter were ongoing, but ordered the two students to proceed on suspension immediately, stressing that the institution was determined to purge itself of any behaviour likely to tarnish its image.

Adio was suspended by the university last week alongside the Deputy Director, Students Affairs, over allegations bordering on extortion.

He was accused of being indirectly involved in the illegal collection of ₦1,000 from first-year students for practical sessions, with ₦700,000 said to have been traced to his personal account.

His suspension was followed by the circulation of an explicit video allegedly involving him, which trended widely on social media and drew the intervention of the National Association of Nigerian Students.

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