The Federal Authorities has inaugurated an eight-man inter-ministerial committee to research the actions of personal universities established within the final 15 years.
The committee, headed by Professor J.D. Amin as chairman, can be mandated to probe diploma certificates racketeering by each overseas and native universities in Nigeria.
The Minister of Schooling, Professor Tahir Mamman, SAN, who inaugurated the inter-ministerial committee on diploma mills within the nation on Tuesday in Abuja, mentioned this might assist sanitise the system and defend the integrity of academic {qualifications} in Nigeria.
Mamman additionally vowed that each one staff who had acquired faux certificates from each native and overseas establishments, as could be unravelled by the panel, could be sacked and made to face the wrath of the legislation.
Recall that the difficulty of ‘diploma mills’ as soon as once more got here to the fore following an investigative report by an undercover journalist, Umar Audu, with a web-based newspaper, detailing how he obtained a level inside six weeks and even proceeded to embark on the necessary one-year nationwide youth service beneath the Nationwide Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
He famous that the committee would assist establish a number of the personal universities within the nation after getting licences as a way of working outdoors the legislation in order that the pressure of the legislation may very well be introduced on them.
“The following step shall be if the committee can uncover these establishments and those that participated as a result of I gained’t say they’re victims or graduates; we’ll chase them out of the system as a result of they don’t seem to be certified to work within the system, and we’ll make them face the wrath of the legislation,” he mentioned.
The Minister mentioned the project was a really critical one and tasked members of the committee to do their job diligently with out worry of anybody, saying the ministry was solidly behind them. He added that the train was to not witch-hunt anybody.
The committee, which has Professor J.D. Amin, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT) Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, has Mr. Chris Maiyaki, the performing Govt Secretary, Nationwide Universities Fee (NUC), as a member.
Different members of the committee are Amb. Lazarus Kpasaba from the Ministry of International Affairs; Abel Olarenwaju, Workplace of the Nationwide Safety Advisor; Omeh Nwokpoku, Workplace of the Nationwide Safety Advisor; Amina Lugga, Federal Ministry of Youth and Growth; Mrs. Doom Iyortyom, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB); and a consultant from the Federal Ministry of Justice.
In keeping with the phrases of reference learn to the members of the inter-ministerial committee, Mamman urged them to look into the actions of unlawful universities and look at the veracity of the allegations of diploma certificates racketeering inside each overseas and native personal universities in Nigeria.
They had been additionally mandated to “Assessment the function of any MDA or its officers (together with figuring out such officers) within the facilitation of the popularity and procurement of the faux certificates in query;
“Assessment present insurance policies and procedures associated to accreditation and certification to establish weaknesses contributing to the difficulty; look at the principles, procedures, and processes for recognition and accreditation of overseas universities and programmes by the Federal Ministry of Schooling.
“Set up if unapproved overseas establishments (Diploma Mills) exist or not in Nigeria in no matter type, with their identities and places if any;
“Make applicable suggestions for evaluate of any guidelines, procedures, and processes to forestall re-occurrence and sanctions for recognized erring officers;
“Make different suggestions that may strengthen the system of recognitions, accreditations, and high quality assurance of levels in Nigeria.
“Look at the extant guidelines, procedures, and processes for granting provisional licences to new universities by the Nationwide Universities Fee.
“Look at the procedures and processes for periodic accreditation of programmes within the universities by the NUC and look at their effectiveness in high quality assurance of the programmes;
“With out prejudice to the periodic accreditation train of the NUC, look at whether or not or not personal universities established within the final 15 years have in place prescribed services, an applicable administration construction, sufficient funding of programmes, and requisite workers (nature of workers: full-time, contract, adjunct, visiting, different varieties).”
He famous that it was factor that Nigerians are all around the world in search of overseas {qualifications}, noting, nevertheless, that the certification should be of high quality and meet international requirements.
He added that to handle the problem of entry in Nigeria, the Federal Authorities has, since 2009, accredited over 146 personal universities along with federal and state universities to cater for the teeming inhabitants in search of college training.
“This can be a very huge quantity that may assist present entry to our teeming residents who need to have college training, other than polytechnics, faculties of training, and different tertiary establishments,” he mentioned.
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