By Oyinkansayo Wole-Bodunde.
Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, is urging lawmakers to stop the rapid establishment of new universities, emphasizing the need to strengthen existing institutions instead.
Alausa warned that the Federal Government is under increasing pressure to rebuild the country’s education system, stating the National Assembly’s passage of nearly 200 bills for new universities.
Alausa stressed that prioritizing the improvement of existing institutions is important, rather than constantly advocating for new ones. He noted that despite the growing number of universities, their capacity to admit students remains inadequate, with private universities accounting for only 7.5% of total undergraduate enrollment.
The Minister highlighted several key strategies to address these challenges, including: Rebuilding and Upgrading Infrastructure by reconstructing 195,000 classrooms, installing 28,000 toilets, and drilling 22,900 boreholes across schools in the country by 2027, Vocational and Technical Training: President Bola Tinubu has approved N120 billion for students’ entrepreneurial mode, focusing on practical education and training artisans through a dual-mode system. Also, promoting STEM Education i.e implementing measures to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education to meet the country’s skill gaps, including a Digital Training Academy (DTA) to equip students with industry relevant skills. Finally, reducing Out-of-School Children by committing to integrate 10 million out-of-school children into the formal education system, with a focus on creating opportunities for them in tertiary institutions.
