The Federal Government has warned tertiary institutions against presenting borrowed lecturers, equipment, laboratories and other facilities during accreditation exercises, saying institutions must henceforth be assessed based on resources they genuinely own and can sustainably provide to students.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this in Abuja during the inauguration of the Ministerial Committee on Strengthening the Accreditation and Quality Assurance System for Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria.
Alausa said the government was undertaking a major review of the accreditation system for universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to prevent institutions from creating a “temporary picture” of their capacity whenever accreditation teams visit.
According to him, accreditation should provide an accurate assessment of an institution’s capacity to deliver quality education. He, however, expressed concern that some institutions temporarily assemble lecturers, equipment and facilities solely to meet accreditation requirements.
The minister said the government would no longer accept what institutions merely present to accreditation teams, insisting that regulators must be able to independently verify that the required resources genuinely exist and remain available after accreditation exercises.
Alausa charged the ministerial committee with developing a credible, transparent and technology-driven accreditation framework based on independently verifiable evidence.
FG Moves to Strengthen University Advancement Offices
In a related development, Alausa has directed vice-chancellors of federal universities to move their advancement offices from the registrars’ offices and place them directly under the vice-chancellors.
The minister gave the directive in Abuja at the opening of the first National University Advancement Programme Forum organised for vice-chancellors and officials of advancement offices in federal universities.
The forum was organised by the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Education.
Alausa said Nigerian universities needed to strengthen their advancement offices by recruiting competent personnel capable of mobilising resources and building sustainable relationships with donors and other stakeholders.
He urged vice-chancellors to rebuild the offices and ensure they were staffed with professionals who understood their responsibilities, rather than frequently changing personnel.
NHEF Seeks Stronger University-FG Partnership
Speaking at the event, NHEF Chairman, Wale Adeosun, recalled that the MacArthur Foundation established the Nigerian Higher Education Foundation in 2004, with the objective of helping Nigerian universities become more financially self-sustaining.
He said four universities were initially selected for the programme: Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Bayero University, Kano; the University of Port Harcourt; and the University of Ibadan.
“We at the NHEF then added the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and also the University of Lagos. In the 22 years that the NHEF has existed, this is the first time the NHEF has had any interaction and relationship with the Federal Ministry of Education,” Adeosun said.
The partnership is expected to strengthen fundraising and advancement activities within Nigerian universities while supporting efforts to improve institutional sustainability and quality.
