Requirements for Establishing Institutions of Higher Education in Nigeria. This post covers how to start (Higher Education) Colleges, Polytechnics and Universities business in Nigeria.
World Bank defined Educational Higher Education thus; Higher Education also known as tertiary education in some countries, refers to all post-secondary education, including both public and private universities, colleges, technical training institutes, and vocational schools. Higher education is instrumental in fostering growth, reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity. A highly-skilled workforce, with a solid post-secondary education, is a prerequisite for innovation and growth: well- educated people are more employable, earn higher wages, and cope with economic shocks better.
In Nigeria, an institution of Higher Education may be sponsored or owned by the Government of the Federation or of a State or Local Government or by any of the following, that is:-
a. By a Company incorporated in Nigeria
b. By an individual or association of individuals who are citizens of Nigeria, and who satisfy the criteria set out in the Schedule to this Act for establishment of institutions.
(1) Application for the establishment of an institution of higher education shall be made to the Minister:-
a. in the case of a University, through the National Universities Commission
b. in the case of a Polytechnic or College of Agriculture, through the National Board for Technical Education;
c. in the case of a College of Education, through the National Commission for Colleges of Education; and
d. in any other case, through the Director-General of the Federal Ministry of Education, in accordance with the guidelines prescribed for making the application.
Read: List of Federal Universities in Nigeria
(2) No State, Local Government or tertiary institution shall benefit from the education tax with respect to a tertiary institution unless the application for the establishment of that tertiary institution was made in accordance with the provision of subsection (1) of this section.
(3) No person shall be granted approval to establish an institution of higher education unless the criteria set out in the Schedule to this Act have been satisfied.
Criteria for Establishing Colleges, Polytechnics and Universities in Nigeria.
(1) The academic structure and spread of discipline of the institution shall be such as would cater for areas of felt needs.
(2) i. Evidence shall be produced to show that the institution would be provided with adequate:-
(a) Funding, both Capital and Recurrent;
(b) Academic and Support Staff.
(2) ii. The proposed staffing guidelines shall meet with current guidelines of :-
(a) The National Universities Commission; or
(b) The National Board for Technical Education; or
(c) The National Commission for Colleges of Education, as the case may be.
(3) The Federal Government must be satisfied that, on approval being given, the sources of funding and necessary funds will be available.
(4) The Federal Government or its accredited agency shall ascertain and be satisfied itself that:-
(a) The fixed and enabling assets, that is, funds, land, movable and immovable assets, are appropriate for establishing the institution in the light of such factors as:-
i. The type of institution envisaged,
ii. Its philosophy and objectives,
iii. The cost of goods and services prevailing at the time;
(b) The assets shall be assigned to the institution on approval being given for the institution to be established; and
(c) That the applicant has supplied a concrete and guaranteed source of financial support for the University to the tune of N200 million, N100 million for Polytechnic or Mono technic, and N50 million for a College of Education, over a period of 5 years.
Read: List of Private Universities in Nigeria
(5) (1) A proposed institution shall have clearly spelt out master plan for infrastructural and programme development for at least 20 to 25 years which shall make adequate provision for:-
(a) Plan space, aesthetic beauty and fixed final assets;
(b) Minimum land area of 100 hectares for a University, 50 hectares for a Polytechnic or Monotechnic and 25 hectares for a College of Education, in a salutary site.
(2) The site distance from an urban complex shall take into account availability of municipal services, including water, transportation, private accommodation, communication and other consequential inadequate in its Community.
(6) (1) A proposed institution shall have an adequate environment base and shall be open to all Nigerians irrespective of ethnic derivation, social status, religious or political persuasion.
(2) Accordingly, its laws and status shall not conflict with the conventional responsibilities in academia or interfere with avowed traditional institutional autonomy.
(7) To pre-empt problems of inadequate municipal facilities, the proposed institution shall have a clear policy on student and staff accommodation and catering services.
(8) The proposed institution shall have a well articulated mission and set of objectives which may be original and innovative but unequivocally in consonance with the socio-economic and political aspirations of Nigeria.
(9) To create and sustain credibility and confidence from the start, the administrative structure of the proposed institution shall not depart too radically from established norms.
(10) The library, laboratory and workshop facilities including instructional tools and consumables, shall be adequate and there shall be long-range plans for sustaining them.
(11) The planning and feasibility report of the proposed institution include proposed contracts and affiliation with existing similar institutions and plans for cooperation and interaction.
(12) The criteria set out in this Schedule shall also apply to a proposed institution which is an Open University except that:-
(a)The minimum land area requirement shall not apply; and
(b) Guidelines prescribed by the appropriate authority as regard technical infrastructure for functional and effective operation shall be satisfied.