Minister raises alarm over 75% admission shortfall — Features — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has charged universities to tackle a significant shortfall in admissions, with over 75 per cent of potential students being left out.

He made the call on Friday in Abuja during a meeting with Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities.

The Minister also instructed all institutions to adopt hybrid learning models by 2025 as part of ongoing reforms.

This mandate, he said, aims to encourage universities to focus on specialized education programmes, addressing the widening skills gap in the workforce.

He noted that by doing so, institutions can better equip students with the skills required to succeed in their chosen careers, ultimately benefiting the economy.

The Minister lamented that every year, around 2 million people apply to Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for admission to universities, polytechnics, or colleges of education, but only about 330,000 are admitted, resulting in an admission rate of 22-25 per cent.

He said this leaves a significant number of applicants, around 75 per cent, without access to higher education.

He said: “Every year, 2 million people apply to JAMB to either go to universities, polytechnics, or the colleges of education. Of those 2 million people, we have an admission rate of just about 330,000 people admitted.
“So that translates to an admission rate of just about between 22 to 25 per cent. So what happens to those 75 per cent, year over
year?

“We have invested a lot of money in building infrastructures, which are meant to be for students. So we shouldn’t be limiting the number of people we admit to our universities based on available accommodation.

“And if you want to provide accommodation for your students, you can go negotiate with private builders out of the university within a certain mileage of the university. That’s one side of the pie.”

The Minister stressed that universities must embrace modern technology, particularly hybrid learning, to address these issues, stating that by the end of the year, all universities must implement Anthology Blackboard.

“You need to embrace modern technology. I should not be telling you this. This is what you should be doing. Now, I asked TETFund to present to you yesterday. Every one of you must start using Anthology Blackboard before the end of this year.