Oyo govt to establish commission for state-owned tertiary institutions

The process to establish the Oyo State Tertiary Education Commission as an agency responsible for the coordination and management of all tertiary institutions in the state has begun.

This followed the first reading of the Oyo State Tertiary Education Commission Bill, 2024, which is an executive bill, at Thursday’s plenary of the House of Assembly.

The commission, upon its establishment, will have the responsibility to develop and implement quality assurance mechanisms for all academic programmes offered by tertiary institutions and align academic standards across the institutions to address the specific needs of the state’s higher education landscape.

Among others, the commission will be responsible for developing and enforcing a code of conduct for institutions and individuals and acting as a liaison between tertiary institutions and the Ministry of Education on matters relating to higher education.

The commission will also collaborate with national regulatory bodies in matters related to programme accreditation, quality assurance standards, funding initiatives for tertiary institutions in the state, and supporting the development of research infrastructure and technology within institutions.

Furthermore, the commission will have a duty to advise the governor on matters relating to higher education in the state, including policies, funding, infrastructure development, and research priorities, and to represent the state in matters relating to higher education at the national and international levels.

In a motion at the day’s plenary, the Assembly tasked the executive arm to impress it on the heads and management of state-owned tertiary institutions to deploy more aggressive educational technology and the online education system through the introduction of online courses in their programmes.

The Assembly’s prayer was contained in a motion presented by Honourable Olorunpoto Rahman, representing Oyo East/West State Constituency.

The motion was premised on the increasing use of online learning systems and virtual classrooms in educational institutions in the modern world and their positive impacts.

The motion further held that institutionalising online education in state-owned tertiary institutions would expand access to education and increase internally generated revenue (IGR) in the coffers of the state.

The Assembly consequently implored heads and management of state-owned tertiary institutions to create an enabling environment and build capacity on technology for their workforce.

This, it noted, will help bridge personnel gaps in the technological education system and help in the development of various software for online educational programmes.