By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
Abuja
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the establishment of nine new private universities bringing the number of private universities in the country to 59, Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shakarau, said yesterday.
The Institutions are Augustine University, Ilara, Lagos state; Chrisland University, Owode, Ogun state; Christopher University, Mowe, Ogun state; Hallmark University, Ijebu Itele, Ogun state; Kings University, Ode Omu, Osun state; Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Orode, Delta state; Mountain Top University, Ogun state, Ritman University, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom state and Summit University, Offa, Kwara state.
Asked if the federal government would take steps to curtail the exorbitant fees being charged by the private universities, the minister said accreditation of private universities has nothing to do with the fees they charge just like the private hospitals.
He said: “Private universities are like any other private institutions: private primary school, private secondary school. All that is the responsibility of government is to ensure that the standards are maintained.
“We are to ensure that they are operating within the minimum required standard, and that is the responsibility of the NUC in terms of their facilities, staffing and so on. The accreditation of any universities or courses has nothing to do with the fees they charge just like the private hospitals,” he said.
The minister said only federal government universities are tuition-free, adding that whatever the universities are charging are minimal for some day-to-day activities like games fees, union fees and some other fees.”
Continuing, he said: “No university owned by government is charging tuition fee. Of recent, I had cause to ask the NUC to regulate kind of minimum because there is a university that is charging as low as N20, 000, N15, 000. Some charge N30, 000 to N80, 000 or so which is a composition of a number of different kinds of fees.”
