The Federal Government pledges to unearth individuals using counterfeit credentials, both in public and private sectors, to maintain the integrity of the education system.
In Abuja, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, reaffirmed this commitment upon receiving the Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee’s findings on Degree Certificate Fraud, led by Prof. Jubrila Amin.
The move comes after the Minister initiated a committee to probe allegations of degree racketeering in local and foreign private universities on January 9, 2024.
Prof. Mamman expressed dismay at the revelations unearthed during the probe, emphasising the need to collaborate with relevant authorities to purge the education sector of fraudulent practices.
He highlighted the imperative of upholding the sector’s integrity and ensuring that individuals with dubious credentials are identified and removed from the system.
Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee, Prof. Amin, condemned the deteriorating educational standards observed in implicated institutions, advocating for urgent intervention.
He stressed the necessity of digitising and automating educational processes to enhance monitoring and accountability across tertiary institutions.
Prof. Amin underscored the inadequacy of the current accreditation and evaluation procedures, urging for comprehensive reforms.
He recommended the establishment of more universities to bolster the nation’s capacity for producing authentic PhD holders and cautioned against the proliferation of unaccredited programmes, particularly in part-time and sandwich courses.
