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Tag: Private varsities

  • FEC approves 11 new private varsities

    FEC approves 11 new private varsities

    The Federal Executive  Council (FEC  has approved provisional licenses for 11 new private universities.

      The approval brings the total number of private universities in the country to 150. There are 125  public varsities nationwide.

      Education Minister  Tunji Alausa, who announced the approvals after the FEC meeting, also said that a moratorium has been placed on the issuance of licences for private universities.

      He however clarified that those already in advanced stages of the approval process would not be affected.

    “The 11 universities have been awarded provisional licences after fulfilling the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) 13-step process.

    Read Also: Include private varsities as beneficiaries of TETFund, says VC

    “While a moratorium has been placed on new licenses, universities that have invested heavily and are nearing completion of the approval process will still be considered,” Alausa said.

    The new tertiary institutions include New City University, Ayetoro, Ogun State; University of Fortune, Igbotako, Ondo State; Eranova University, Mabushi in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT); and Minaret University, Ikirun, Osun State.

    Others are Abubakar Toyin University, Oke-Agba, Kwara State; Southern Atlantic University, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State; Lens University, Ilemona, Kwara State; and Monarch University, Iyesi-Ota, Ogun State.

    Also approved are Tonnie Iredia University of Communication, Benin in  Edo State; Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management, Lagos; and Kevin Eze University, Mgbowo, Enugu State.

  • VC urges govt to support private varsities

    VC urges govt to support private varsities

    Vice Chancellor of Elizade University Prof. Olukayode Amund has called on the Federal Government to provide equal support for universities in Nigeria through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFUND) to improve quality of higher education, ELIZABETH GANIYU reports.

    Vice Chancellor of Elizade University Prof. Olukayode Amund has stressed the need for government to support private tertiary institutions, particularly through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). In an interview with The Nation, he underscored the state of private tertiary institutions in the country and the urgency for equitable government support to elevate the quality of higher education nationwide.

    His words: “Private tertiary institutions don’t take part in TetFUND, instead, we contribute to it. We don’t enjoy anything from TetFUND. It’s only the public universities that are sharing everything, and the tax that is accrued to the TetFUND is from the private sector. Don’t you see that that is robbing Peter to pay Paul? That’s not what it’s supposed to be because students in private tertiary institutions are all Nigerians. And in anything that pertains to the resources of the land, they should also participate. Universities should have facilities funded by TetFUND and staff development should also be encouraged. I think it’s high time the government looked into it and do the needful. So, as at now, we’re operating mainly on fees that are paid by students, while the founder is funding the university with regards to general structural development.”

    Assessing progress

    Amund, who has presided over Elizade University for approximately four years and eight months, shared his initial observations upon assuming leadership and assessed the institution’s current status.

    He said: “I can boldly say that the university has made a lot of progress under my tenure. At least, what we have on ground now is more than what was on ground when I came. In terms of the infrastructural and academic development, we have made progress. There’s also been growth in terms of student population as well as staff population. In the light of curriculum development, we have made ample progress as well. We have touched almost every area of the university life and we have made an impact.”

    Benchmarking excellence

    When inquired about the standard of education at Elizade University compared to other institutions, the professor explained that they adhere to the same curriculum framework as mandated by the National Universities Commission (NUC). Nevertheless, he emphasised their commitment to creating an enabling learning atmosphere, highlighting aspects such as accommodation, well-equipped libraries, and the availability of lecture materials online.

    He asserted: “For the standard, we are among the top universities in the country. One remarkable thing that we did was to upload all our teaching materials, the lecture notes and the course outlines on the website. What we teach at Elizade is what is taught in other universities, but the difference we’ve made is that we’ve created a conducive environment for students to be able to study. For example, we have ample accommodation spaces and within the hostel, we have facilities for reading. Again, we have the central library and the Faculty of Law has its own library. All these libraries are well-equipped with the requisite books and literature. In fact, Elizade University is a reference university for the law programme. We have one of the best law libraries in Nigeria.”

    From 25 Courses to over 50

    Regarding academic programmes, the VC remarked that when he assumed office in 2019, the university offered 25 courses, but now, including postgraduate programmes, they provide over 50 academic options.

    He said: “There were roughly 25 courses when I came and if I’m to include postgraduate programmes, we have over 50 now.”

    Discipline and compliance culture in the university

    Concerning discipline on campus, Amund stressed the importance of enforcing rules and regulations, which are meticulously detailed in the student handbook. He emphasised the effectiveness of this approach, stating, “You know that any institution that is not guided by rules and regulations will be disorderly. What we’ve entrenched at Elizade University is a robust set of rules in the handbook, which are made available to our students and those rules are enforced to ensure that we maintain discipline on campus. Failure to comply with what is specified in the handbook is meted with a tough sanction that is prescribed within the handbook. We are maintaining discipline and parents are giving us kudos for what we’re doing and we’re receiving more student enrolment.”

    Read Also: Fed Govt to set up photon analysis laboratory

    His desire for the university

    He expressed his aspiration to be remembered as a vice chancellor who contributed significantly to the university’s academic and physical growth.

    He said: “I put in my best into elevating the university to the present status. I’ve put in all the energy to ensure that I elevate the quality of service in the university and the students have been engaged. I want to be remembered as a VC that brought quality to the university, academically and physically.”

    Transition to a new tenure

    Amund clarified that his tenure renewal is not within his purview and acknowledged that he has exceeded the age limit for the vice chancellorship. He indicated that the university has begun the process of selecting his successor, but he is not directly involved.

    He said: “I’ve decided to go home and rest so that younger people can also have that option to serve. Already, we’ve advertised the position and people have been interviewed so we hope before the end of the year, the successor will be announced.”

  • Nigeria needs more private varsities to expand access to tertiary education, says Sambo

    Former Vice-President Namadi Sambo has said Nigeria needs more private universities to cater for its increasing population seeking tertiary education.

    Sambo urged stakeholders in the education sector and well-meaning Nigerians to take advantage of the enabling environment created by the Federal Government to invest in private universities.

    The former Vice-President spoke after he was inaugurated the Chairman of the Governing Board of Baze University, a private institution in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

    According to the National Universities Commission (NUC), there are 303 applications before it jostling to get provisional license to begin operation.

    Sambo said that only myopic people go abroad in search of tertiary education when all the enabling environment was being created at home by the government.

    Read also: Second term Namadi Sambo’s Cross

    The former VP said: “The population of this country is huge and it is encouraging to see that there are constantly new universities being established.

    “So, I believe that objective to have proper number of universities that will support the number of students we have in this country.”

    He also noted that investment in tertiary education goes beyond financial and human capital, saying the enabling environment was equally key.

    “I believe the present administration is doing its best to encourage private sector investment in education which is good,” he added.

    Founder of the university, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed said at the inauguration ceremony that the appointment of the board was a major milestone that will boost education, not only for Baze University, but the entire country.

  • Sponsor students to private varsities, proprietor urges govt

    Oduduwa University founder,  Chief Ramon Adedoyin, has advised the Federal Government to invest in the education of brilliant but indigent students by paying their school fees in private universities.

    To him, this would ensure that more candidates are admitted into our universities yearly. The university is located in Ipetumodu, Osun State.

    Adedoyin, spoke on the Unified  Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which begins today, lamented what he called space constraints in many higher institutions.

    However, he said while most public tertiary institutions, especially federal-owned institutions were bursting at the seams, none of the private universities was able to admit up to its carrying capacity because of high school fees.  He  noted that most parents could not afford the average of N400,000 charged by many private universities.

    Adedoyin noted that some of those not admitted by public institutions were forced to patronise sub-standard universities in Cotonou, Republic of Benin or illegal universities in Nigeria.

    The NUC recently listed almost 100 illegal varsities in Nigeria and Cotonou, Republic of Benin, where many Nigerian students are studying.

    To address this problem, Adedoyin advised the government to provide access by sponsoring poor students in private institutions rather than approve more private universities.

    Read also: Govt advised to sponsor indigent students in varsities

    He said the government need not give cash directly to private institutions for such sponsorships, but channel the funds into building laboratories, libraries, hostels as well as other facilities, which will be equivalent to the school fees charged by the private universities.

    “Private schools pay heavily on salaries and provision of facilities,” he said.

    The educationist also advised the government to consider that approval of new universities was putting pressure on insufficient manpower needed to run them.

    The minimum qualification to lecture in the university, he said , is a doctoral degree.  With insufficient number of PhDs holders, Adedoyin said many of the existing universities are understaffed.

    “As a university proprietor outside Nigeria, I am able to compare and contrast ways universities are approved in Nigeria and outside Nigeria. New universities outside come first as colleges of well-established universities,” he said.

  • Stop indiscriminate approval of private varsities

    Some years ago, l wrote an article on the growing numbers of private universities in Nigeria and I am ashamed that I have to take up the same issue again. Some two weeks or so ago, the Federal Ministry of Education announced approval of five new private universities in different parts of the country bringing the number of private universities to 74. The question to ask is where the staff will come from. Will they come from existing universities? The answer is yes because no foreign academics, not even from other African countries, will be willing to earn the ridiculously poor salaries paid in Nigerian universities.

    The existing private universities are having problems with students’ admission. It is not because there are no willing students, but the fact is that many of them are technically not qualified. They in most cases do not have the prerequisite number of credits at ordinary level. Even with the watered down variant of NECO, many still cannot meet the standard. Private universities also charge tuition fees that are in most cases beyond the purse of parents who are either peasant farmers, artisans, unemployed or sacked workers. There is a lot of frustration in the existing private universities where salaries are paid only with difficulty. Many of them are run as businesses depending solely on students’ fees. Their teachers in most cases are visiting or adjunct teachers who have full time jobs in their home universities. Greedy young people sometimes teach in two, three or four universities at the same time. Some run from one university lecture room to another university some distance away thus endangering their lives. The result of this buccaneering approach to education is poor quality of teaching, supervision and end product of unemployable and poorly educated young people.

    Currently, according to NUC report, the percentage of university teachers with doctorate degrees in their various fields is just about 60 %. The meaning of this is that many of the university teachers are not qualified and should still be students in graduate schools. The result of this is that some of the people holding professorial appointments are not up to mark. About a month ago, several professors in Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State hurriedly established by former President Goodluck Jonathan were downgraded some to lecturer Grade One or even to Lecturer Grade Two! A year or so ago, thesame thing happened in Federal University, Owerri. We have no idea how widespread this malady affecting the universities is. President Jonathan a former lecturer contributed to this bastardization of university education by establishing 12 federal universities without planning the cost or staffing as part of his “dividends of democracy”.  Vice chancellors were appointed as jobs for the boys and each given N2 billion to start with no master or any plan at all. I know one of these so called “dividends of democracy” universities that spent huge amount of this money on hotel bills since it operated virtually from ahotel. It is sad to hear PDP claiming this as part of their achievements during the Jonathan regime. Needless to say that there is no correlation between the manpower needs of the country and these innumerable universities that exist as duplication of existing courses and academic facilities.I am afraid to say that this indiscriminate establishment of universities in Nigeria since 1999 has not helped Nigeria in any way.

    It is not just private universities that are being established; the federal and state governments are also doing the same. In some cases, states that cannot fund one university adequately have established two or three as in Ondo, Edo, Kano and Ogun states. Each of the 36 states of the federation excluding Abuja has a federal university.This means there are 36 federal universities and more than 36 state universities. We now have about 150 universities in Nigeria. This is just not sustainable. This situation has brought the idea of university education to disrepute. We all know that none of the universities in Nigeria is ranked in the first 1000 or perhaps 2000 in the world. Yet when people in my generation went to University of Ibadan, our degrees received global recognition. A Nigerian in those days heading for post-graduate studies anywhere in the world did not even have to study for a Master’s degree before being registered for a doctoral degree. Medical doctors from Ibadan were immediately registrable in any part of the Commonwealth. Professors and senior lecturers could spend their sabbatical years in many Commonwealth and American universities. Examinations were externally moderated and a first class degree anywhere in Nigeria was globally recognized. The standards have so fallen that it will be a miracle to go back to where we were in the 1970s.

    The reason for this apparent collapse is due largely to poor funding because of the overwhelming numbers of federally and state-funded universities.  Most of the private ones are in hopeless condition because of the tight financial situation in which they have found themselves. Some private universities like AfeBabalola University,Ado-Ekiti and Lead University, Ibadan belong to a new and different category of well-funded and well-run private universities.  Generally, the private universities established by religious and sectarian institutions like Redeemers University, Ede, Ajayi Crowther and Covenant universities are doing reasonably well.  In general, religious mission-backed universities stand better chance of survival than others. But even within these sectarian organizations, the usual Nigerian problem of ethnic division has crept in to affect the funding of their universities. Thus for example, instead of having one Anglican or Catholic university supported by the weight of national church, what you have is division of efforts between the various church organizations along regional and ethnic lines. This does not augur well for these institutions. Religious organizations that operate nationally are more likely to have better universities in the long run. But the private universities established for profit are doomed to fail and close down. The money needed to run good universities are just not what business men will invest because the dividends are not likely to manifest soon and Nigerian business men and women do not have the patience to invest in a long term project like establishing tertiary institutions. Would it not have made sense if business people are encouraged to establish technical and polytechnic colleges to train skilled artisan and technologists? Most of the current federal and state polytechnics have diverted from the right path and are now graduating people in mass communication, accountancy, business administration instead of focusing on core engineering and technical courses. The NUC and the body in charge of polytechnics should ensure that when they are licensed, they should as much as possible, avoid duplicating existing courses available in other institutions. They should be encouraged to innovate and bring up courses that are new and that would promote self-employment. The professional bodies like engineers and physicians should make it difficult for private universities and even state universities to start professional courses they do not have staff, facilities or funding for.

    I do not want to be misunderstood as wanting university education for only a fraction on Nigerians. An argument can be made for university education being an elite thing for that critical mass that can serve as leaven to change society for the better. But even if we embrace the American idea of mass university education in Nigeria, the universities our children attend must be universities in truth and indeed. We must not just call any building a university and start admitting students into it and to graduate them with their wishy washy education after a period of forgettable stay in such an institution. Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well. If we must have universities in every village, let us plan for them; let us determine their specialization and staff. This was what the NUC assisted universities to do in the 1970s following the first wave of tertiary education expansion in the country. We sent students to best universities in Canada, the USA and the United Kingdom for doctoral degrees. Professor JibrilAminu planned this very well and I was involved in students placement first in Canada and then in the USA between 1978 and 1982. Expansion, even though resisted at that time, was well planned and the results have borne out the far-sightedness of the policy. It was not done haphazardly and unreasonably as it is being done today. If we do not put a stop to this incessant approval of universities establishment in Nigeria, the country will suffer the unpleasant consequences of producing certificated illiterates and unemployable graduates.

  • Bells’ VC urges govt to assist private varsities

    Professor Jeremiah Ojediran, the Vice-Chancellor of Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State, yesterday urged the Federal Government to assist operators of private universities in order to improve human development.

    Ojediran made the plea during the university’s 10th Convocation Ceremony, Conferment of Honorary Doctorate Degrees and presentation of prizes to deserving students.

    The university graduated 417 students for 2017/2018 Academic Session.

    They comprised: 47 First Class honours, 148 Second Class Upper honours, 151 Second Class Lower, 71 Third Class and 74 Post-Graduate students.

    Miss Oloyede Tunrayo of the Department of Biochemistry, College of Sciences emerged the best student with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.94.

    According to the vice -chancellor, operators of private universities are also partners in progress with the government as they produce graduates who can stand their ground against others in the world.

    “I believe that it is time that some dues are paid to this segment of positive contributors to the society and partners in progress with the Federal Government.

    “This the government could do by listening to the yearnings of operators of private universities by ensuring some level of adequate funding assistance.” he said.

    The vice-chancellor also said that it might not be out of place for the Federal Government to consider a yearly intervention for private universities to cover some areas of infrastructural development, training, equipment and internet access.

    Ojediran said that this could be administered through the Standing Committee on Private Universities (SCOPU) in National Universities Commission (NUC).

    He commended parents of students of the university on funding, saying that paucity of funds was the major challenge facing the institution.

    Also speaking, Prof Julius Okojie, a former Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), said that the only way the citizens could benefit from the government is through provision of infrastructure.

    He urged the Federal Government to redouble its efforts in getting the educational sector right by offering free education at all levels.

    He said the only way the universities in the country could compete favourably with one another is through adequate funding by the Federal Government.

     

  • Chancellor asks FG to stop licensing private varsities

    A frontline educationist and chancellor of the Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu (OUI), Osun State, Dr Ramon Adedoyin has advocated a stoppage in the further granting of licenses to more private universities by the federal government for now to avoid the proliferation of university education in Nigeria.

    Adedoyin, while reacting to a lecture given at the 14th convocation of Benson Idahosa University, Benin-City by the Executive Secretary National Universities Commission, Prof Adamu Abubakar Rasheed, who called on private universities in Nigeria to sustain efforts towards achieving the vision to become institutions with globally competitive standards for which they were established, Adedoyin opined that a stoppage in the granting of further licensing of private universities will enable the existing private universities to stabilize and achieve this vision as many of them are still operating like glorified secondary schools with little or no infrastructure.

    He also decried the way lecturers who are PhD holders in private universities jump from one university to another each time new universities are approved by the NUC adding that such inconsistencies create fresh problem for the university system.

    He enjoined the government to provide adequate funding for public universities so that they could serve as models to private universities noting that many private universities have overtaken public universities in terms of structures.

    The OUI founder speaking further, said, Nigeria could borrow a leaf from Ghana university system where new private colleges have to go through a minimum of ten years of mentorship and affiliation to an existing university before becoming fully chartered and approved.

  • Why private varsities produce more first class graduates, by VC

    VICE-Chancellor, Caleb University, Imota near Lagos Prof. Ayandiji Aina, said yesterday that private universities are able to produce many first class because they adhere to their carrying-capacity and are quality-driven in terms of admission.

    Aina spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, in a reaction to the National University Commission (NUC) 2017 reports, which indicated that private universities produced more first class graduates than the public universities.

    The report had since attracted critics from various scholars and quarters on the possibilities of the private universities lowering or compromising on standards to increase enrolment.

    The VC said first class students produced by private universities merited their degrees and had proved it again in other areas.

     

    Aina said: “People say we are producing many first class graduates in the private university and I ask them if they have assessed the students to know if they are lower in quality.

    “There is no way a student will make first class and I have to regulate him or her down to second class because I want to graduate less number of first class.

    “There are cases of second class upper students of private universities making first class in the law school and that is an endorsement for us.”

     

  • ‘Private varsities should contribute to Nigeria’s productivity’

    The Executive Vice Chairman, Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP), Dr. Tunji Olaopa, has urged private universities to contribute to the qualitative transformation of the country’s human capital development.

    This, he said, would boost Nigeria’s productivity profile, and ultimately her development capacity.

    He spoke as a guest lecturer at the maiden edition of the distinguished lecture series of the Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Social and Management Science, Caleb University, Imota, Lagos.

    The lecture was titled: “Caleb University at the frontier of entrepreneurial education for National Development.”

    According to Olaopa, private universities have an opportunity, within the context of the debilities that many public universities face, to carve a niche in training, education, learning and intellection that will advance Nigeria’s development efforts in the twenty first century.

    He said: “To be able to stand the test of time, they must answer the compelling national imperatives that undergird the paradigm rethinking that has given them current competitive advantage.

    “And how successfully they drive the institution of entrepreneurial culture, resolve current skills disequilibrium at the root of youth unemployment, while at once driving innovation for technology propelled revolution, would define their future relevance and competitive advantage.”

    Olaopa queried the roles and contributions of the university system in the country’s economic growth, national development.

    “How have they contributed to the project of harnessing diversity for development and national development to mention a few?” he asked.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Akeredolu calls for better funding of private varsities

    Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu said at the weekend that proper funding of private universities would enable them to realise the vision for which they were established.

    The governor, who spoke during the 10th year anniversary and 7th convocation of Achievers University, Owo, urged Nigerians to be hopeful.

    He said the economy would improve very soon.

    Akeredolu hailed the Pro-chancellor, who is the lawmaker representing Owo/Ose Federal Constituency, Dr. Bode Ayorinde, for the vision and tenacity he displayed in founding and developing the university.

    He advised the graduating students to put into practice the knowledge acquired at the institution and make it proud.

    Akeredolu made a case for entrepreneur training for the students, to make them self-reliant rather than job seekers.

    Ayorinde said: “For you, the future has started. I implore you to take whatever opportunity made available to you by the university to make a great future for yourselves.”

    He praised the students for projecting the image of the school.

    The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Tunji Ibiyemi, said the institution would partner foreign universities on international training for the benefit of the university

    The institution honoured prominent Nigerians with honorary degrees.

    They included Emeritus Professor David Adedayo Ijalaye, who was conferred with the degree of Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa).

    Others were Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, who was conferred with the degree of Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa), Aishat Jibril Dukku, Doctor of Public Administration (Honoris Causa) and William Babatunde Fowler, Doctor of Business Administration (Honoris Causa).

    Three hundred and thirty-six students graduated with degrees.