FG determined to streamline tertiary education for improved efficiency – Alausa
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has said the Federal Government was determined to streamline tertiary education for improved efficiency and value.
Alausa urged tertiary institutions across the country to phase out satellite campuses, describing them as unsustainable and inefficient.
Speaking at a Tertiary Education Trust Fund one-day strategic engagement with heads of institutions, bursars, and directors of procurement in Lagos, Alausa said “Don’t play politics with education. Those with satellite campuses, look at how you can congregate them into one campus. We want to get maximum value for every fund, and tertiary institutions should be value-driven. Migrate away from satellite campuses,”
Alausa disclosed that a new policy direction barring institutions with fewer than 2,000 students from accessing funding from TETFund was underway.
“We are re-evaluating how institutions benefit from TETFund. We can no longer incentivise poor performance or underutilisation.
“Several polytechnics established as far back as 2019 have only between 350 to 550 students enrolled, yet they receive the same level of funding as institutions with over 18,000 students. This is inefficient and unsustainable.”
“Therefore, we have set a new benchmark: any institution that, after five years of operation, still has fewer than 2,000 students may be deemed ineligible for TETFund support until they scale up their capacity,” he explained.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, said the agency was shifting toward a more sustainable model of funding, one that reduces reliance on government subventions.
“The Fund has been moving toward a more sustainable model of funding. This is in line with the broader objective to reduce institutions’ reliance on government subvention and to encourage Public-Private Partnerships, particularly in areas such as hostel development, innovation parks and service facilities,” Echono said.
