In a bid to align Nigeria’s higher education management with global best practices, the Federal Government has directed all federal tertiary institutions including Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education (CoE) to immediately begin publishing key institutional data on their official websites.
The directive, issued by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa to all federal vice chancellors, rectors and provosts seeks to entrench transparency, accountability, and good governance in the nation’s tertiary education system.
According to a statement signed by the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the new policy is part of a broader reform to strengthen good governance, restore public confidence, and bring Nigeria’s higher education system in line with international standards.
Institutions to publish budgets, grants, endowment funds
Dr Alausa explained that under the new directive, each institution is required to publish its annual budgetary allocation, providing full details and a clear breakdown of personnel costs, overhead costs, and capital expenditure.
Additionally, institutions must disclose their research grant revenue from the previous year. This, according to him, must be separated into two categories including: domestic grants obtained from local industries, government agencies, or foundations, and international grants from foreign institutions, multilateral organisations, and development partners.
The minister further mandated that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) allocation for the current year must also be published, showing the total amount received to support academic and infrastructural development.
Also, all federal institutions are expected to publish the total value of their endowment fund as recorded at the end of the previous year, and must be updated quarterly to maintain accuracy and transparency.
As part of the data requirements, he maintained that institutions must disclose their current total student population, clearly categorised into undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
This, according to him, will provide a clearer picture of enrolment and institutional capacity.
“This information must be presented in a clear, accessible, and user-friendly format for public visibility. Websites should be structured in a way that allows the public, including parents, students, and stakeholders, to easily locate and understand these data points,” the statement reads in part.
Deadline, compliance monitoring
According to the minister, all federal institutions are expected to fully comply with the directive and ensure that their websites are updated no later than 31 May.
To monitor compliance, the Federal Ministry of Education said it will conduct periodic reviews of institutional websites and take appropriate administrative actions against institutions that fail to meet the requirements.
“These reviews will be used to gauge compliance and drive policy decisions that promote transparency,” the minister noted.
Alausa urged all heads of tertiary institutions to take the directive seriously and act fast, saying it’s a crucial step toward boosting the integrity and global standing of Nigeria’s education system.
