Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, has vowed that anyone, irrespective of political or social status, found to have been involved or had acquired a degree from a fake/illegal institution within or outside Nigeria will be severely punished.
He described such person(s) as “criminals” who ought to face the wrath of the law, adding that the President, Bola Tinubu, has given his support and backing to plans by the ministry to carry out detailed investigations regarding the development.
To this end, the minister inaugurated a six-man investigative panel in response to the recent media report by an undercover journalist who reported that he acquired a university degree certificate from a Cotonou-based university in six weeks, and was mobilised for NYSC.
The inter-ministerial investigative panel which comprises representatives from the National Universities Commission (NUC), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Federal Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and Youth Development, chaired by the Chairman, Board of Trustees Committee of Vice-Chancellor (CVC) Prof. J D Amin has eight weeks to complete the task and submit its report.
The minister said the investigative panel is expected to examine the veracity of the allegations of degree certificate racketeering within both foreign and local private universities in Nigeria; review the role of any MDA or its officials (including identifying such officials) in facilitation of the recognition and procurement of the fake certificate in question.
The committee is also expected to review existing policies and procedures related to accreditation and certification to identify weaknesses; examine the rules, procedures and processes for recognition and accreditation of foreign universities and programmes by the Federal Ministry of Education; establish if unapproved foreign institutions (degree mills) exist or not in Nigeria in whatever form with their identities and locations if any.
In addition, the committee is expected to make appropriate recommendations for review of any rules, procedures, and processes to prevent re-occurrence and prescribe sanctions for identified erring officials; make other recommendations that will strengthen the system of recognitions, accreditations and quality assurance of degrees in Nigeria.
He charged the committee to examine the extant rules, procedures and processes for granting provisional licences to new universities by the NUC; examine the procedures and processes for periodic accreditation of programmes in the universities by the NUC and examine their effectiveness in quality assurance of the programmes.
Without prejudice to the periodic accreditation exercise of the NUC, he asked the committee to examine whether or not private universities established in the last 15 years have in place prescribed facilities, appropriate management structure, adequate funding of programmes, requisite staff (nature of staff-full time, contract, adjunct, visiting, other types).
The minister appealed to the committee members to do a thorough assignment for the education sector and the country in general and avoid any engagement that might lead to promise.
Chairman of the Committee, Prof. J. D. Amin, on behalf of the committee members promised that they would do a thorough assignment that might herald significant changes in the education sector.
Source: The Sun
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