The Federal Executive Council (FEC), during its weekly meeting on Wednesday, chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has placed a six-year suspension on the establishment of new Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education to ensure the sustainability of existing institutions.
Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, who disclosed this, said that the halt is meant to strengthen standards and support the financial stability of mostly private institutions.
“Access to tertiary education remains a challenge. With the number of institutions we currently have, we must ensure private schools can operate sustainably.
“Statistics from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) revealed that over 2.3 million candidates applied for university admission last year, less than 228,000 were admitted to public universities,” Alausa said.
The minister also disclosed that the Federal Executive Council has 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 added that NMEC would expand outreach through radio, television, community learning centres, and public advocacy programs, particularly in rural areas.
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