Abuja: The Federal Government has announced its intention to cease the practice of tertiary institutions temporarily borrowing staff, equipment, and facilities to fulfill accreditation requirements. This declaration was made by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, during the inauguration of the Ministerial Committee on Strengthening the Accreditation and Quality Assurance System for Tertiary Institutions.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the minister’s announcement follows the controversy surrounding the accreditation of the Law programme at Atiba University, Oyo State. In August, the Council of Legal Education (CLE) imposed a 10-year suspension on the university’s Law programme due to inadequate facilities and non-compliance with requisite approval processes for student admissions and graduations. This decision has left students, who have invested several years in their studies, in a state of uncertainty. In response, parents have urged the Federal Government and regulatory bodies to facilitate the transfer of their children to accredited Law faculties to salvage their educational and financial investments.
In his address, Dr. Alausa emphasized the need for accreditation to reflect an institution’s genuine and sustainable capacity to provide quality education, rather than a temporary setup arranged for accreditation visits. He criticized the prevalent practice of institutions presenting a misleading image during accreditation evaluations. The government aims to tackle situations where personnel and resources are temporarily shifted or borrowed for accreditation purposes, only to be returned afterward.
The minister underscored the necessity of reforms to bolster the credibility, integrity, transparency, efficiency, and sustainability of accreditation processes across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. He highlighted the significant responsibilities of the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) in maintaining the quality of tertiary education.
Dr. Alausa advocated for a robust digital accreditation platform that continuously maintains and periodically verifies institutional information. He proposed that accrediting agencies should possess reliable information on institutional staffing and facilities before physical visits, which should primarily serve to validate pre-verified data.
The newly formed committee has been tasked with developing mechanisms to verify the authenticity and continuous availability of staff, facilities, and equipment presented for accreditation. The minister stressed the importance of leveraging technology to transform accreditation into a digital, data-driven, and continuously verifiable system. He recommended the use of geospatial mapping and digital identification technologies for infrastructure and equipment verification.
Furthermore, Dr. Alausa called for a comprehensive digital identity management and staff verification framework, utilizing national identity infrastructure and interoperable government databases. He pointed out the importance of ensuring that one individual is not improperly presented as full-time personnel in multiple institutions.
Expressing concern over illegal student admissions, the minister attributed past failures to previous administrations allowing irregularities in accreditation processes. He assured Nigerians that President Bola Tinubu’s administration would not tolerate such practices moving forward.
Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, Chairman of the Ministerial Committee and former Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), affirmed the committee’s commitment to addressing accreditation abuses. He emphasized the importance of continuous monitoring to maintain standards beyond accreditation visits.
Mrs. Kalau Igwe, Director of Polytechnic Education in the ministry, expressed optimism that the committee’s work would establish a more credible accreditation process, benefiting the education sector and Nigerian students. The committee’s mandate includes reviewing existing accreditation policies, identifying operational challenges, and enhancing the independence and accountability of accreditation panels.