The Federal Government has reiterated its resolve to transform Nigeria’s tertiary education system through the use of digital platforms aimed at improving teaching, learning, research, innovation and overall institutional efficiency.
The Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, made this known as he directed the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to begin onboarding private tertiary institutions onto the Tertiary Education Research and Application Service (TERAS) platform.
According to him, the directive is part of broader efforts to strengthen and protect the education sector through deliberate public-private partnerships.
TERAS, a digital platform developed by TETFund, was created to address major challenges encountered by students, researchers and institutions in accessing academic resources and research materials. Records show that as of April 2024, more than 2.4 million students in public tertiary institutions were already enrolled on the platform and benefiting from its services.
The platform was launched in October 2023 by the former Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman. It features several digital tools, including the Beneficiary Identity Management Service, Aggregated Research Journals powered by EBSCO, EagleScan plagiarism detection software, and the Blackboard Learning Management System, among others.
TERAS functions as a centralised digital hub that enables tertiary institutions, students and researchers to access high-quality educational resources, check academic work for plagiarism and carry out various academic activities.
Alausa stressed that extending the platform to private tertiary institutions is crucial, noting that sustainable development in education depends on shared responsibility and inclusive collaboration between government and private-sector stakeholders. He described the expansion of TERAS, implemented in partnership with TETFund, as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s digital education reform drive.
Although TERAS has traditionally catered to public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, the minister explained that eligible private institutions are now encouraged to formally partner with TETFund to enjoy the same premium digital services delivered at a national scale.
He added that the platform provides a unified digital infrastructure offering structured onboarding processes, reliable connectivity, cost efficiency, standardised quality assurance systems and data-driven tools to support informed decision-making.
“These elements are essential for enhancing institutional performance and ensuring that Nigerian tertiary institutions remain competitive at both local and global levels,” Alausa said.
He further noted that the inclusion of private institutions aligns with the Federal Government’s vision of building a unified, inclusive and resilient higher education system that reflects global best practices. He therefore urged interested private universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to formally indicate their interest through the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities and engage directly with TETFund.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, revealed that the Fund has introduced a new intervention line under its 2026 annual direct intervention known as the Nigerian Research and Education Network.
He explained that the initiative is designed to enhance access to global academic resources and facilitate the integration of TERAS into the network starting from the 2026 intervention cycle.
Echono also disclosed that TETFund is expanding its special intervention projects to include centres for robotics, coding and artificial intelligence or machine learning, as well as centres for cybersecurity studies in selected beneficiary institutions.
In addition, he said 12 more institutions would benefit from the commercial farm project, comprising two universities, eight polytechnics and two colleges of education.
