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Education minister Tunji Alausa Decries Proliferation Of Versities, Seeks Improvement Of Existing Ones

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Education minister Tunji Alausa

Education minister Tunji Alausa Decries Proliferation Of Versities, Seeks Improvement Of Existing Ones

Education minister Tunji Alausa decries proliferation of Versities, seeks improvement of existing ones. Mr Alausa said that there was no need to put pressure on the president to establish new universities

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has hinged the current proliferation of universities on the increasing pressure being mounted by lawmakers.

Mr Alausa spoke at the third edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing in Abuja on Thursday.

The federal government is facing mounting pressure to reform the country’s education sector.

With almost 200 bills pending in the National Assembly for the creation of universities, there is a growing concern that the system is becoming overwhelmed.

Mr Alausa explained that renewing the capacities of existing institutions was more important than establishing new ones.

According to him, there is no need to put pressure on the president to establish new universities.

He said, “We must focus on our capacities. We need to stop this from happening. There’s so much pressure on the president. We have to at least be sensitive to it as well.

“They (lawmakers) are passing a lot of bills. Today I can tell you that there are almost 200 bills in the National Assembly. We can’t continue this. Even though we have a lot of them, the capacity for a university to admit is not there. What we need to do now is to rebuild the capacities so that we can offer more viable courses to our citizens.’’

He added that the enrolment rate was not commensurate with the recent number of universities.

“If you look at the entire enrolment together, the one per cent of private universities account for just 7.5 per cent of total undergraduate enrolment. The total number of undergraduate enrolments today is just about 875,000, which is at least fairly low.

We have universities with less than 1,000 undergraduate students, and there’s this intense demand for more universities to be opened. We have to stop that,” he said.

He added that several key proposals had been put forward to address the challenges facing Nigeria’s education sector.

Speaking on specialised universities, the minister appealed to the institutions to focus on their mandate.

According to him, there is a need to reduce the number of non-technical courses offered in specialised universities and instead make them available in conventional universities.

He also pledged the commitment of the federal government to reducing the number of out-of-school children and creating opportunities for them in tertiary institutions.

On speculation of scrapping the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund), Mr Alausa said the Education Tax Fund would continue indefinitely.

Education minister Tunji Alausa

Education minister Tunji Alausa

“What we now need to do is to begin to open up more resources to develop infrastructure, build engineering workshops and build laboratories in these universities.

We also must recruit international standard teachers so that we can begin to get these universities to deliver high-quality education that will be known throughout the country.

“When it comes to the education tax, I think a tax fund is going to be advanced now because I’ve heard some information in the new tax bill about tax funds being subsidised by the year 2030,” he said.

Economy

NTI Releases 13,710 Pending PGDE, NCE Certificates: Kaduna

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NTI Releases 13,710 Pending PGDE, NCE Certificates

NTI Releases 13,710 Pending PGDE, NCE Certificates: Kaduna

NTI releases 13,710 pending PGDE, NCE certificates: Kaduna. He said certificates for the Bachelor Degree programmes (BDPs) will also be available for collection next week.

The National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, has released 13,710 pending certificates for Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) and the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE).

This is contained in a statement issued on Monday in Kaduna by Yusha’u Ahmed, the institute’s head of public relations and protocol unit.

He said, “Therefore, the Institute is calling those concerned to contact its offices in states across the country with the required documents and observed procedure for collection.
”The certificates for the Bachelor Degree programmes (BDPs) will also be available for collection next week.”

According to the break down from the Institute’s Academic Records Division of Registry Department, 6,954 PGDE certificates, covering the period 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, in affiliation with the National Open University of Nigeria(NOUN) had so far been released.

Mr Ahmed added, “There are also 445 PGDE certificates for Post-Graduate Diploma in Education, in affiliation with Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto; 119 PGDE certificates in affiliation with the University of Ilorin.
“The Institute had in addition, released 6,192 NCE certificates for the year 2023.

“The Director and Chief Executive of the National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna, Prof. Sadiya Sani-Daura, has expressed commitment and determination to solve the lingering pending certificates issue once and for all.
“The delay in the issuance of the certificates was due to challenges that have now been resolved.

“The National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna remains steadfast in the discharge of its mandate as a teacher education Institute and once again reiterates its commitment to serving its clientele, which are primarily the students of the Institute.”
According to Mr Ahmed, the Institute assures all the stakeholders, students, both graduates and those undergoing its programmes at various levels.

NTI Releases 13,710 Pending PGDE, NCE Certificates

NTI Releases 13,710 Pending PGDE, NCE Certificates

He continued, “That it has renewed its responsibility of delivering quality and exceptional education through the distance learning technique and the use of modern technologies as obtained globally in similar institutions around the world.

“NTI wishes to appreciate all the stakeholders for their patience and support.”

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Ebonyi: Government Sends 47 Students To UK On Scholarship

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Government Sends 47 Students To UK On Scholarship

Ebonyi: Government Sends 47 Students To UK On Scholarship

Ebonyi: Government sends 47 students to UK on scholarship. The governor urged the beneficiaries to be good ambassadors of the state.

No fewer than 47 beneficiaries on Monday departed Ebonyi for the United Kingdom on scholarship with Governor Francis Nwifuru describing their sojourn as a bold step towards human capital investment.

Mr Nwifuru said during the beneficiaries’ departure from the Chuba Okadigbo airport, Ezza, that the prosperity of the state depended on deliberate commitment to youth development.
The governor urged the beneficiaries to be good ambassadors of the state to achieve the overall aim of the investment.
“This event is not just about boarding a flight but destiny taking flight.

“This is about hope leaving the shores of Ebonyi to soar into the future,” he said.
He noted that the scholarship scheme was one of the most financially demanding interventions of his administration, only next to major infrastructure projects.

“We faced strong opposition on it at inception due to its economic pressures.
“Several people called for its suspension, arguing that its resources should be channeled towards roads, hospitals construction among other pressing needs.

“We would however, be mortgaging the future of Ebonyi if we fail to invest in the youths,” he said.
Mr Nwifuru noted that that the programme aligned with his administration’s People’s Charter of Needs mantra which places human capital development at the peak of governance.

“This initiative is deeply personal as the beneficiaries are being offered opportunities I and many others never had.

Government Sends 47 Students To UK On Scholarship

Government Sends 47 Students To UK On Scholarship

“This venture is aimed at making the path easier for the next generation as every fund spent on it is a collective sacrifice of traders, civil servants, artisans and taxpayers,” he said.
The chairman of the Ebonyi Scholarship Board, Chaka Nweze, said the beneficiaries’ selection process was based strictly on merit.

“We concentrated on first class but due to prevailing developments, considered those with Second Class Upper classification (2:1) CGPA 3.0 and above.

“43 other beneficiaries would travel later as they are still awaiting visa clearance.
‘”The beneficiaries signed a bond to return to Nigeria and serve Ebonyi for five years,” he said.

He noted that the beneficiaries would work at the educational institutions being inaugurated in the state and can pursue personal sojourns after the five years.

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Education

Bandit Attacks: Government Reopens Schools In Kwara State

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AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq

Bandit Attacks: Government Reopens Schools In Kwara State

Bandit Attacks: Government reopens schools in Kwara state. The Kwara government has directed all schools that were closed due to insecurity in some parts of the state to reopen.

The Kwara government has directed all schools that were closed due to insecurity in some parts of the state to reopen.

The announcement was made in a statement by the commissioner for education and human capital development, Lawal Olohungbebe, on Sunday.
Mr Olohungbebe said school authorities had been notified of the decision amid continuous security operations to neutralise marauding bandits in the state.

AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq

AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq

“The government deems the situation now to be a lot better than it was before. Even so, we continue to maintain vigilance,” the commissioner stated.

The development came amid recent operations by the troops of the Nigerian Army against the terrorists in Ifelodun, Edu and Patigi local governments.

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