FG Places 7-Year Moratorium On Establishment Of New Tertiary Institutions

The Federal Government has implemented a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new tertiary institutions in Nigeria. This ban covers all categories of federal tertiary institutions and aims to prevent duplication, reduce waste, and improve existing facilities and manpower.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, stated that the proliferation of new institutions has strained resources, leading to deteriorating infrastructure and declining graduate quality. Currently, there are 72 public federal universities, 42 federal polytechnics, and 28 federal colleges of education, alongside numerous state and private institutions.

The moratorium will allow the government to focus on rehabilitating infrastructure, recruiting and training staff, and expanding the capacity of existing schools. Additionally, the Federal Executive Council approved the establishment of nine new private universities, addressing concerns of seeming contradiction by explaining that the delay in approval was due to inefficiency in processing applications.

The government aims to ensure that quality is not sacrificed for expansion in the education sector.