The Federal Government has raised concerns about the subpar quality and relevance of research coming from the nation’s institutions.
Minister of Education, Mamman Tahir, addressed this issue following Monday’s meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the presidential villa in Abuja.
Expressing regret over the research output, Mamman Tahir highlighted that the current state of research does not align with the country’s needs or contribute to national development. He emphasized the crucial role research institutes play in the development of developing countries and stressed the need for tertiary institutions to meet these expectations while ensuring sufficient funding.
The government plans to hold the management of public higher institutions accountable for the effective administration of financial resources and strict compliance with established laws and regulations.
A note presented in December 2023, which proposed the withdrawal of public higher institutions from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPS) and recruitment waivers for public institutions, was approved by the council.
The minister noted that the FEC has resolved to remind public tertiary institutions of their obligations under various laws and will now hold their management accountable for any regulatory lapses. The regulations, effective since mid-December last year, will be communicated to institutions for proper management in line with the laws that established them.
Under the new regulations, tertiary institutions will only employ staff when budgetary provisions are available, maintaining the prescribed ratio of 1 to 5 between academic and non-academic staff as specified by the universities commission. The recruitment of staff, limited to senior lecturers and above for a specific period not exceeding one year, aims to ensure responsible staffing.
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