The Federal Government has announced a six-year moratorium on the establishment of new universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen the quality and financial sustainability of existing tertiary institutions.

Minister of Education Tunji Alausa disclosed the decision after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Alausa said the policy was necessary because the country already has a large number of tertiary institutions and the government wants to ensure that both public and private schools remain financially sustainable.

The Council also approved the restoration of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education to full independent status to address what the minister described as a national literacy crisis.

According to Alausa, about 56 million Nigerians are currently illiterate. The commission has been tasked with educating more than 50 million young adults and equipping them with digital skills within the next two to three years through radio, television, public campaigns and community learning centres, particularly in rural areas.

In addition, the Council approved amendments to the National Postgraduate Medical College Act to recognise medical fellowships as equivalent to a PhD for academic career progression. It also approved comprehensive insurance coverage for the country’s 180 federal unity schools.