In a bid to prioritize the sustainability of current schools, the Federal Government has announced a six-year moratorium on establishing new universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Following a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Minister of Education Tunji Alausa clarified that the ban is designed to elevate academic standards and bolster the financial health of existing institutions, particularly in the private sector.
“Access to tertiary education remains a challenge. With the number of institutions we currently have, we must ensure private schools can operate sustainably,” he said.
Alausa cited statistics from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), revealing that while over 2.3 million candidates applied for university admission last year, less than 228,000 were admitted to public universities.
FEC also restored the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education (NMEC) to full independent status.
According to Alausa, this follows the commission chairman’s proposal to reach more than 50 million young adults over the next two to three years and equip them with digital literacy skills.
“Currently, around 56 million Nigerians are illiterate. We cannot continue to have such a high number of citizens without basic education,” he said.
The minister also said NMEC would expand outreach through radio, television, community learning centres, and public advocacy programs, particularly in rural areas.
“These steps aim to enhance quality of education and tackle the country’s literacy challenges”
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