Minister warns tertiary institutions against borrowing staff, equipment for accreditation

Federal Government initiates reforms to improve Nigeria's tertiary education accreditation system, with Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa cautioning institutions against using borrowed staff, equipment and facilities during accreditation. Alausa emphasized the transition of accreditation from a periodic event to a continuous, digital and data-driven quality assurance process.

He stressed that institutions should not be permitted to create a temporary impression of their capacity for the purpose of accreditation visits. The government plans to deploy technology, including geospatial mapping and digital identification, to strengthen the verification of infrastructure, equipment and personnel. Staffing verification is also a priority, with a comprehensive digital identity management and staff verification framework proposed.

Alausa stressed the need for institutions to maintain prescribed standards throughout the year, rather than making special preparations only during accreditation visits. The reforms aim to create a robust digital accreditation platform serving as a "single source of truth" for verified institutional data, enabling regulators to continuously maintain and periodically verify information on institutional staffing, facilities, laboratories, workshops and equipment.