The Federal Executive Council has approved a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions across the country in a bid to address duplication and improve the quality of existing ones.
Briefing journalists after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said access to tertiary education was no longer an issue in the country.
“Several federal universities operate far below capacity, with some having fewer than 2,000 students. In one northern university, there are 1,200 staff serving fewer than 800 students. This is a waste of government resources,” he stated.
He said what was rampant was a duplication of new federal tertiary institutions, and a significant reduction in the current capacity of each of these institutions, tertiary institutions, universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
In the memo, which was approved in the council meeting, it was also stated that the ministry would review and reform the guidelines for the approval of new private universities to ensure efficiency.
He also added that it was observed that from the recent Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) admission exercise, many institutions had fewer than 100 applicants seeking admission.
Alausa warned that unchecked proliferation of poorly subscribed institutions risked producing ill-prepared graduates, eroding the value of Nigerian degrees internationally, and worsening unemployment.
He explained that the moratorium would enable the government to channel resources into upgrading facilities, hiring qualified staff members, and expanding the carrying capacity of existing institutions.
“If we want to improve quality and not be a laughing stock globally, the pragmatic step is to pause the establishment of new federal institutions,” he added.