The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has cancelled foreign scholarships for English studies under Nigeria’s Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA). The move came after he criticized the idea of sending students to countries like Algeria and Russia, where English isn’t even a national language to study courses that Nigerian universities already teach better.
Wasting Billions While Nigerian Students Suffer
The BEA programme has been running for years, allowing selected Nigerian students to study abroad under government sponsorship. But in Alausa’s view, it’s a failed investment. In 2024, he refused to approve a N650 million budget for just 60 students heading to Morocco, citing injustice to the millions of underfunded students in Nigeria. He noted that in 2025 alone, N9 billion was projected to sponsor only 1,200 students overseas, even though every single course they’re studying is already offered in Nigerian universities.
Let that sink in: N9 billion to teach Nigerian students English, in French-speaking Algeria. It’s not just wasteful; it’s almost insulting. And while these select students jet off with taxpayers’ money, millions in Nigeria hustle through overcrowded lecture halls, inadequate libraries, and zero financial aid.
A Policy That Finally Makes Sense
The Minister’s decision to cancel the BEA programme is the bold reset the education system desperately needs. He plans to redirect those funds to local scholarships. “That money will now be used to fund local scholarships and support more students,” he said. For once, this isn’t just political talk. It’s a move rooted in logic, fairness, and economic sense.
Let’s be honest, what’s the logic in sending students abroad to study English when Nigerian universities can do it better, cheaper, and in the actual language of instruction?
Time to Rethink National Priorities
Dr. Alausa’s decision is a reality check. If a country like Nigeria, with an already stretched education budget, continues to spend billions sponsoring irrelevant foreign studies, then the priorities are completely upside down. English is Nigeria’s official language. If we need to learn it better, we should invest in our own institutions, not pay other countries to teach us what we already know.
The BEA programme, in its current form, was not education, it was diplomacy at the expense of common sense. Ending it is one of the few reforms in recent times that actually reflects the needs of the people. Dr. Tunji Alausa didn’t just cancel a scholarship programme; he called out a national absurdity. And finally, someone did.
