The Federal Government has directed all Nigerian universities to implement Anthology Blackboard, a hybrid learning technology, by the end of 2025.
The Minister of Education, Mr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, issued the directive during a meeting with vice-chancellors in Abuja.
Alausa urged universities to move beyond traditional limitations and embrace digital solutions.
“It’s not acceptable at this age to remain limited. Explore opportunities of modern technology. You have to adopt hybrid learning classes. Use your ICT intervention funds to link to ICT dashboards. This is what you should be doing.
“Every one of you must start using Anthology Blackboard before the end of this year. That is one of the best technologies that we have now. That will help you with your hybrid classes” he said.
He acknowledged that training might be required for implementation but assured that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) would support institutions in adopting the platform.
“I know there might be some training involved. We will talk to TETFund to provide how you adopt it. You have to start adopting hybrid classes.
More so with the folks from the North; We talk about security, Students can’t come to school, and you should be the one to use this solution to keep your students on. This is not a talk show. You would have to implement this,” he said
Addressing Nigeria’s Admission Shortfall
Alausa stressed that hybrid learning technology is crucial to addressing the low admission rates in Nigerian universities.
According to him, about two million candidates apply annually through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for university, polytechnic, and college of education admissions, but only around 330,000 are admitted leaving 75% of applicants without access to higher education.
“This leaves a significant number of applicants, around 75 percent without access to higher education,” he stated.
He explained that the government has invested heavily in university infrastructure, and institutions should not limit admissions based on available accommodation. He urged universities to explore partnerships with the private sector for student housing solutions.
Need for specialized education
The minister also called on universities to prioritize courses that align with global workforce demands.
He cited UNESCO data, which indicates two million job vacancies in fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, and IT automation.
“Prioritise globally marketable courses like nursing, biomedical technology, software, machine learning AI rather than history, zoology, botany, sociology, etc.
The marketable courses can be used to service Nigeria and other countries. They can even work remotely from Nigeria. Even if they go out of the country, they send money to their families. It encourages FDI inflows to the country,” Alausa said.
Data management
The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdulahi Yusuf Ribadu, urged universities to maintain accurate data for better planning.
“Most times when we send circulars out requesting for data, universities delay responses, which results in distortion in some available information.
In this regard, if you refuse to supply necessary data and your university is eventually short-changed, you cannot complain,” he said.
The Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, also emphasized the need for accurate data and improved admissions processes, stating that institutions should ensure their facilities align with the number of students they admit.
