The Federal Government says it has uncovered approximately 70 illegal universities and 125 illegal colleges of education across the country.
Adamu Adamu, minister of education, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, decried that the challenge of illegal institutions which he described as “Degree Mills” persists despite efforts by the government to weed them out of the system. This, he said, has continued to pose a challenge to the attainment of quality education.
“In spite of these laudable efforts at ensuring unfettered access to university education, the challenges posed by illegal universities, “Degree Mills” still persist. As I speak, the National Universities Commission (NUC) has identified approximately 70 illegal universities in the country. We will not rest on our oars in cracking down on illegal universities in the country,” he said.
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“The challenge of illegal colleges of education is as profound as that of illegal universities. We have also identified an alarming number of illegal colleges of education, totalling 125,” the minister added.
Admau informed that the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has written to their proprietors to shut down within a specific time frame, after which appropriate measures will be applied.
The minister further informed that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has invested an estimated N2.5 trillion in tertiary education in the last ten years, which according to him exceeds the sum total of N1.2 trillion contained in the 2009 agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
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