Students in private universities taking courses not approved by the Commission for University Education (CUE) have recently learnt, to their utter dismay, that they cannot get help from the campuses to resolve the problem, because CUE’s bark is louder than its bite.
Surat Group, owners of the Nigerian Turkish Nile University (NTNU), have recorded another first in Nigeria as the four-year old institution held its maiden convocation for 77 students. Parents and guardians in their gay outfits watched with pride as their wards graduated from four years of hard work, luckily in an institution not encumbered by the incessant strikes the tertiary institutions in Nigeria are known for.
JCT director Petronella Nyamapfene said the trust was focusing on private colleges because there was growing concern over the welfare of children in these institutions.
Thanks to RPF government through numerous education reforms, we are now talking of seven public universities and over a dozen private universities in just 19 years. That is good enough and very impressive by any standards.
The proprietors of private universities in Nigeria are clamouring for financial support from the federal and state governments. They argue that they are playing an identical role to public universities in producing much-needed skills for the country, and thus deserve state funding.