FG Tightens University Admission Rules

The Federal Government has introduced new measures to regulate university admissions and prevent institutions from enrolling students beyond their approved capacity.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said universities must comply with admission guidelines and ensure that the number of students admitted remains within the limits approved by relevant regulatory bodies.

Alausa warned that institutions would no longer be permitted to admit students far beyond their approved carrying capacity. He explained that a university authorised to admit 100 students could not proceed to enrol about 1,000 students.

The minister said excessive admissions place pressure on lecturers, classrooms, laboratories, libraries and other facilities required for effective teaching and learning.

The government also raised concerns over illegal admissions carried out outside approved regulatory procedures, noting that such practices had led to hundreds of thousands of students gaining admission through improper channels.

Alausa said institutions and officials found responsible for violating the admission requirements would face sanctions. He warned that officials who fail to address admission breaches could lose their positions, while private institutions that repeatedly violate regulatory requirements could have their licences revoked.

The Federal Government is also set to strengthen the accreditation and monitoring of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to ensure that institutions have adequate facilities, qualified personnel and other resources to support the number of students they admit.

According to the minister, the reforms are designed to prevent institutions from enrolling more students than they can adequately train and to improve the quality of education provided to students.