The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has urged Nigerian universities to introduce specialised degree programmes to address shortages of professionals in healthcare and social services.
Alausa particularly encouraged institutions to establish programmes in audiology, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, clinical psychology and medical social work.
He said expanding training in these fields would help meet the country’s demand for specialists while creating additional employment opportunities for young Nigerians.
The minister urged university vice-chancellors to work with a ministerial committee led by Dr Victoria Amu to develop the proposed programmes.
He also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to establishing autism centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
According to Alausa, the centres would improve access to diagnosis, therapeutic services and research while providing support for people on the autism spectrum and their families.
He called for collaboration with regulatory agencies and professional bodies to ensure that the programmes met recognised academic and professional standards.
Alausa said the initiatives formed part of efforts to address workforce shortages, improve healthcare delivery and make higher education more responsive to Nigeria’s development needs.
