By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
The Federal Government has reaffirmed that tuition in all Federal Technical Colleges (FTCs) remains free, warning principals and administrators against imposing unauthorised charges on students.
Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, in a statement shared Wednesday through the Ministry’s official X handle, said the government fully bears the cost of tuition to ensure equal access to technical education nationwide.
“No administrator is permitted to demand extra payments from parents or guardians. Circulars have already been dispatched to all schools to reinforce this directive,” Alausa declared.
According to him, the government covers approved expenses such as boarding, uniforms, textbooks, exercise books, ID cards, medical services, vocational training, utilities, school websites, clubs and societies, and insurance.
He clarified, however, that students in boarding schools are still expected to provide personal items, including toiletries, beddings, rain boots, cutlasses, hoes, buckets, and a ream of A4 paper for registration.
The initiative, he explained, aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a pathway to human capital development.
“No Nigerian child should be denied access to technical education because of illegal charges. By investing in education, we are building a stronger, self-reliant Nigeria,” the minister stressed.
Alausa assured that monitoring mechanisms have been put in place to tackle infractions and urged parents to report any illegal demands to the Ministry.