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
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.
