The Federal Government said it has increased annual admissions into nursing schools from about 20,000 to 50,000 students as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s shortage of healthcare professionals and strengthen the country’s health workforce, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has said.
Alausa disclosed this during an interview with journalists on Sunday, saying the expansion of nursing admissions formed part of broader education reforms aimed at producing the skilled workforce required to drive President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a $1tn economy by 2030.
The minister said the government was deliberately investing in human capital development by expanding access to professional education in critical sectors.
He explained that the Federal Government had aggressively expanded admissions into health-related programmes to bridge long-standing shortages of healthcare workers.
According to him, annual enrolment into nursing schools has risen from about 20,000 students before the current administration assumed office to approximately 50,000 students, adding that admissions into medicine, pharmacy and dentistry have also been significantly increased.
According to him, annual enrolment into nursing schools has risen from about 20,000 students before the current administration assumed office to approximately 50,000 students, adding that admissions into medicine, pharmacy and dentistry have also been significantly increased.
The minister expressed confidence that the reforms would substantially reduce the shortage of healthcare professionals within the next few years as thousands of newly trained graduates join the workforce.
The minister also reiterated that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund was designed to remain financially sustainable beyond the current administration.
He further said the administration had restored industrial harmony in tertiary institutions through dialogue with academic and non-academic staff unions, noting that improved stability was contributing to better outcomes in the higher education sector.
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