Education

Another four private universities receive NUC provisional licence

Published

5 years ago

February 6, 2019

By: Sandra Nnaemeka

Four new private universities were on Tuesday in Abuja granted provisional approval by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to commence academic programmes.

The Federal Executive Council approved the establishment of the four private universities in January.

Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, presented the provisional licences to the universities in Abuja.

The universities are: Greenfield University, Kaduna State; Dominion University Ibadan; Trinity University Laloko, Ogun State and Westland University, Iwo, Osun State.

He said issue of access to university education in the country continued to pose serious challenges, noting that it requires continuous effort to address.

The minister, who was represented by Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said the emergence of private universities had provided an environment for heavy competition that stimulates improvement in quality service delivery.

Adamu said the approval was a clear manifestation of the continued mutual partnership between the government and private sector to ensure the provision of quality education in the country.

The minister explained that private universities in the country had contributed immensely to the opening up of access to education over the past 20 years.

He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, the provisional licence for the four universities to operate is intended to create room for mentoring and qualitative growth within the first three years of their operations.

“During the probation period, the four universities will be attached to older generation universities for academic and administrative mentoring.

“It should also be noted that substantive licence will only be issued to the universities if they are adjudged of being worthy of it after the three years of probation.”

NUC’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, said the four universities had been under its scrutiny since 2006.

Rasheed said that there was need to increase the number of universities, taking into consideration the country’s increasing population.

He added that with the country’s population, only about two million students can access university education.

The NUC Boss said: “Only less than 6 per cent students’ enrolment is in private universities.

“We hope the NUC work closely with you to ensure we introduce courses that are more attractive to prospective students and more appropriate to our current move to reposition the education system in Nigeria.

“All over the world, private initiatives are welcome. Proper education cannot be handled by government alone.

“The NUC is not ready to sacrifice quality on the altar of access; we must ensure adherence to quality; we do not want to encourage you to run the university with impunity.”

Rasheed added that the commission was currently processing about 270 applications.

Chairman, Board of Trustees, Dominion University, Bishop Taiwo Adelakun, who spoke on behalf of other beneficiaries, appreciated the commission for the approval and pledged to keep to the mandate establishing the universities.

With the approval, Nigeria has 173 universities, out of which 79 of them are private.

•Source: The Nation report

Education

Federal Government Sets To Commence School-To-Work Scheme

Published

7 days ago

May 3, 2024

Alice Ginika Simon

The Federal Government says plans are underway to launch a school-to-work scheme to enable youths to become productive and self-employed.

The Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi disclosed this in Abuja during a meeting with Commissioners of Education, Executive State and FCT Universal Basic Chairmen, Education Boards and UBEC on the School-to-Work Scheme.

Bobboyi in his keynote address, disclosed that the target group for the scheme are learners in the junior secondary schools. He added that it will provide them the opportunity to detect early in life where their talents and potential lie, between academic pursuit and vocational skills development.

Explaining how the Scheme will run, the UBEC Boss stated that it is structured to provide at least six months training, broken into two months per year of study in the junior secondary school.

Also speaking, the Director Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Folake Davies, stated that the Scheme which is inline with the road map policy of the ministry, is designed to provide youths with the requisite experience necessary to excel whenever they find themselves in the working environment.

The Director, who was represented by Rose Onoja stated that only collaborative effort from the Federal, State, and Local Government levels and active involvement from the private sector will make the implementation of the program successful. Liberate actions to mitigate the living conditions of their constituents.

Education

Fake University Degree Holders Soon To Be Fished Out And Arrested – Minister Of Education Announces

Published

1 month ago

April 3, 2024

Alice Ginika Simon

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, on Tuesday, said security agencies will go after individuals with fake university certificates in the country.

According to the minister, the individuals will be tracked after the committee set up by the Federal Government to investigate the activities of university certificate racketeers in the country submits its report.

The Federal Government had set up an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling to probe the activities of certificate racketeers following an investigative report published by Daily Nigerian which exposed the activities of degree mills in the Benin Republic.

The investigative report, which exposed the illegalities perpetrated by some tertiary institutions in the West African countries, led to the Nigerian government placing a ban on the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo.

The committee set up by the Federal Government was also tasked with investigating Nigerian private universities established in the last 15 years. Recently, the committee invited memoranda from the public. Selected members of the committee also visited institutions in the Benin Republic.

While speaking at the first quarterly citizens engagement in Abuja on Tuesday, the education minister, Mamman, said;

“On the issue of the fake degrees, we set up a committee and we expect them to submit their reports soon. Once the report is submitted, I can assure you that individuals with fake certificates will be apprehended. They will be tracked by security agencies.”

Also speaking at the engagement, the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tanko Sununu, noted that the quarterly citizenship engagement was aimed at creating awareness of the activities of the ministry.

He noted that the engagement would “ also promote mutual understanding with stakeholders and citizens, build and sustain public trust, and improve transparency and accountability in the sector.”

“Worthy of mention is that this engagement also aims to improve efficiency and streamline government operations by identifying and addressing bottlenecks,” Sununu said.

Education

Stakeholders Head To Enugu For First South East Educators Conference

Published

2 months ago

March 16, 2024

Alice Ginika Simon

Stakeholders in the education circle are warming up for the maiden edition of Southeast Educators’ Conference 2024(SEEC’24).

The two-day SEEC’24 scheduled to hold 18th & 19th, April 2024 at Nike Lake Resort, Enugu under theme: Future-‘Focused Learning – Igniting the Competitive Edge’

Promises to host key players in the education sector with a potential attendance of over 500 delegates.
The conference will feature a diverse lineup of speakers, covering topics ranging from holistic learning approaches to cutting-edge technology integration.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Mrs Doris Chinedu-Okoro,CEO, Evergreen Group, said SEEC’24 is the first of its kind in the Southeast region, presenting a historic opportunity for stakeholders to pioneer positive change in the local education sector.
“It brings together diverse perspectives and innovative ideas,fostering collaboration and networking among educators and stakeholders.
Hundreds of delegates will be in attendance.
“SEEC’24 is dedicated to exploring transformative practices, emphasising holistic learning, technology integration, globalcitizenship, life-long learning, and community engagement”, she said.

Mr. Osita Chidioka, the former Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, who recently launched an online mentorship and leadership programme for Nigerian youths named Mekaria Mentorship Programme (MMP) Foundation Course, will deliver the keynote at SEEC’24.

Prof. Pieter Verdegem; Dr. Joy Isa, Mrs. Bukola Adewuiyi, Lady Uju Dike, Fr. John Njorteah, Alex Onyia, Rotimi Eyitayo, Rhoda Odigboh, Elfrida Diete-Spiff Omole, Dr. ChibuezeLawrence Ofobuike, Ify Obidi-Essien, Dr. Abimbola Ogundere, Angelina Ikeako, Odetola Ebenezer Israel and OgochukwuOnyia, are some of the speakers lined up for the event.

The Evergreen Group CEO added that the conference thrives on a vision to create a dynamic platform that equips educators with the tools and knowledge needed to make a lasting impact on the educational landscape of South-Eastern Nigeria.

SEEC’24 is open to School Owners, Heads of Schools (Public and Private), Educational Stakeholders, Counselors, Teachers, Parents, Investors, Startups, and others in the education ecosystem.
“Participants will have the opportunity to engage in two full days of conference sessions, diving deep into the future of Education.
“There will be ample networking opportunities with school leaders from across the geopolitical zone and beyond.
“The evening Gala Night promises a delightful atmosphere for dancing, dining, wining, and fostering deeper connections in a relaxed setting”, she further explained.

Registration is N100,000 via: https://bit.ly/3uTcv9e