The Federal Government (FG) has intensified its clampdown on illegal tertiary institutions, shutting down 22 unapproved Colleges of Education across the country.
The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), which carried out the exercise, said the closures were part of its ongoing campaign against unaccredited schools.
“The NCCE identified and shut down 22 illegal Colleges of Education operating across the country,” the Commission stated.
It added that the process also involved “personnel audit, financial monitoring in all the 21 federal colleges of education.”
Tribune Online reports that President Bola Tinubu’s recent directive to key regulatory agencies the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the NCCE to rid the country of unapproved and illegal tertiary institutions undermining the education system.
Speaking at the 14th convocation of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja, Tinubu ordered the agencies to act decisively against what he described as “certificate millers” eroding the credibility of Nigeria’s academic sector.
Tinubu, represented by the Director of University Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Rakiya Ilyasu, stressed that the integrity of Nigeria’s academic system must not be compromised.
“At this juncture, it has become imperative to reiterate that this administration remains committed to strengthening the integration of all agencies involved in the administration of education to enhance efficiency and quality,” the President said.
He added, “The National Youth Service Corps, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, the National Universities Commission, the National Board for Technical Education and the National Commission for Colleges of Education are working in alignment to improve the quality of education and ensure that cases of forgery and unrecognised institutions both within and outside the country have no place in our education ecosystem.