Last week, the National Universities Commission announced the existence of 33 illegal universities in the country. In May, the NUC had earlier declared sixteen out of these institutions illegal and warned Nigerians against patronising them. Also declared illegal were unlicensed satellite campuses, outreach campuses and study centres countrywide. The universities’ regulatory body also stated that it had not approved any offshore universities to operate in the country. The Commission said that five owners of such institutions had been arrested and were being prosecuted to dissuade others.
Prof. Julius Okojie
According to the NUC, the listed universities “have not been licensed by the Federal Government and are, therefore, operating illegally in violation of Education (National Minimum Standards) Act.†The NUC warned that certificates obtained from the illegal institutions would not be recognised. The Commission has certified 92 Nigerian universities as authentic degree awarding institutions. The list comprises 27 federal government-owned universities, 31 state universities and 34 private universities.
Ordinarily, the NUC’s action seems commendable. The Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) (Amendment Decree No. 9 of 1993) clearly spelt out the guidelines for the establishment of private universities in the country. Indeed, the body outlines 11 requirements, 12 criteria and 13 steps that a proposed private university must satisfy before obtaining operational licence. Over the years, at least 34 private universities have met the NUC’s conditions and have been granted operational licences.
But as the Commission has rightly said, factors such as over-reliance on paper qualifications, delay by government in establishing enough schools to keep pace with the educational demands of the populace, and uncontrolled population growth propel education seekers to look out for just any outlet. Certainly, reconciling the legitimate aspirations of people seeking university education and the task of arresting falling standards has become a major challenge facing the Commission.
The proliferation of illegal universities is, no doubt, as a result of the widening gap between supply and demand in the university education system. About 15.31 per cent, 16.71 per cent and 14.73 per cent of the total applicants were able to gain admission to the few Nigerian universities in 1990, 1991 and 1992 academic years respectively. A bar of 15 per cent of the total applicants was slammed on about 75 universities in 2005. In 2005/2006 session, only a total of 147,323 candidates, out of about 850,000 or 15 percent of the eligible applicants, were admitted to the nation’s 75 universities and other degree awarding institutions.
Out of the 1,054,060 candidates that sat for the 2008/2009 Universities Matriculation Examination, 447,928 or 44.87 per cent had scored above 200 points, which qualified them for admission. Yet, just about 150,000, according to the NUC, will be offered admission for the next academic year. But as at 2007, University of Rome and University of Mexico had student populations of 180,000 and 200,000-plus each, Turkey’s Anadolu University alone boasted of 530,000 students.
To stem the tide of illegal universities in the country, the NUC should liberalise requirements for the establishment of private universities without compromising standards. A situation where approval procedure drags for years during which unsuspecting students would have graduated before approval is granted or denied should be reviewed.
The Commission should not wait until parents’ hard-earned income and the students’ precious time had been wasted before coming out with the list of illegal universities. Regular public enlightenment on the implications of the unregistered universities will save innocent students and their parents the unnecessary financial and emotional trauma.
The FG should expand access to higher education through adequate funding of public universities, licensing of more private ones and providing financial assistance to students in both public and private universities.
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