CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Kenneth Dareng, Nigeria, March 1999
THEME = EDUCATION
Some Nigerians, in their desperation to acquire educational
certificates,
are making use of some extremely doubtful academic establishments
to secure cheap certificates, diplomas and degrees
Clients of such places are mainly young school leavers who have wild dreams of reaching the highest pinnacle of their chosen career or profession, but lack the necessary credentials to satisfy their ambitions. They search out these so-called «Institutions» in the hope their dreams will be transformed into reality. The young people are not too bothered whether such institutions are genuine or not; whether they are operating with or without government approval.
Some money-grabbing Nigerians sensed there was a quick and easy Naira (Nigerian currency) to be made here, so they established Institutions which awarded Diplomas and Degrees without waiting for government approval. Within the past three years, hundreds upon hundreds of universities, institutions and colleges have sprang up across the country, all in a bid to make money at the expense of Nigerians, desperate for some kind of certificate.
Many of these so called Institutions even claim to be affiliated with reputable Nigerian Universities, so they feel they are fully qualified to issue the necessary certificates or offer consultancy services on behalf of such Universities. Recently, most of these so-called «new generation institutions» advertised themselves as operating as Christian universities, colleges or institutes by awarding diplomas and degrees in courses such as theology, divinity, church management and administration, without obtaining the necessary government approval.
The question is: what's their game? Let's take a look at one of the so-called schools which describes itself as a «Christian university». It was founded by a Church; it uses the church building as its administrative block; a number of outhouses behind the church are described as «classrooms». The «university» has no library and yet it claims to being affiliated to an evangelical Christian university in the USA.
The duration of courses offered at these establishments is usually not more than one year! They receive applications from people who lack the necessary qualification to get into any government approved and other well-established and accredited institutions. In other words, they accept students who are really desperate to get some kind of accreditation.
To gain admission, applicants are required to have at least three credits in their school leaving examinations or General Certificate of Education, instead of the normal five credits stipulated by government. In these «universities», it takes just four years to read from diploma to doctorate level. One year for a Diploma, one year for a Bachelors Degree, one year for a Masters Degree, one year for a Doctorate.
The administrative and registration process in such institutions speaks volumes about what's going on. In some cases, shops are rented and converted into admission offices. Some of these «offices» are partitioned to create space for Reception, secretary's office, Rector's/Chancellor's office. Such an «office» may have a small manual typewriter, a standing fan and a few numbers of bound academic works. They also serve as a library. There's obviously no hall for Degree-awarding ceremonies and university convocations. Nonetheless, such institutions claim to have campuses in various parts of the country. Some have even gone further and honoured highly-placed government officials and wealthy members of society with honourary degrees. One such Christian University recently dolled out 424 degrees, of which 87 were Doctorates and 147 were Masters Degrees in various fields of specialization.
Disturbed that so many of these institutions had been making false claims of being affiliated to some American Universities, the United States Information Services (USIS) dissociated its country of having any knowledge of such claims, adding that it's purely a business matter. «We don't have any information about such institutions».
In Nigeria, there's over-emphasis on paper qualifications. It's only in this country that people can take it into their heads to establish a university without government approval. Other people blame the trend on the corrupt system which has deliberately refused to call the founders of such places to order. Somebody even called them «glorified primary schools» in view of what takes place. Fees range from N2,000 to N6,000 per semester.
Educationalists have concluded that students who «graduate» from such places lack adequate knowledge to justify the «certificate» they acquired. Lectures take place mostly on Saturdays and after 52 of these Saturdays, a student emerges, clutching his Bachelor's Degree certificate!
Churches involved in this kind of business seem to have abandoned their care for souls which should be their priority. Many observers have raised the question about who is really behind the establishment of these fake institutions which claim to be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission CAC. In a recent press statement, the CAC stated that it does not register Christian institutions to award degrees, stressing that the Commission only grants approval for the establishment of Nursery and Primary Schools. It is illegal for any Christian Institution to operate as a University and even issue degrees.
The Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC), alarmed by the situation, has ordered the immediate arrest of founders of these dubious institutions and their closure. At the same time, the NUC has reminded educationalists that the provisions of Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) decree No.9, of 1993 states that government agencies, private institutions, companies incorporated in Nigeria wishing to establish a University, may do so by formally applying for such, through the NUC and to the office of the Minister of Education. The Federal Government has not given any approval for the establishment of private universities in the country.
END
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
PeaceLink 1999 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement