The Bauchi State House of Assembly has directed the state government to shut down privately-owned Nigeria Certificate of Education-awarding institutions that are not registered but operating illegally.
This was part of resolutions of the lawmakers following the recommendation of a report of the House Committee on Education on a motion calling on the state government to regulate the incessant proliferation of illegal private NCE-awarding institutions in Bauchi State.
The report was laid by the Chairman of the Committee, Babayo Muhammad, who represents Hardawa Constituency, during plenary on Wednesday.
He said, “The committee found that Bauchi State has the highest number of private NCE-awarding institutions in Nigeria presently as there are 58 NCE-awarding institutions; only four of them are public institutions owned by the state government, while 54 are private NCE-awarding institutions established by businessmen as profit-making ventures.
“Similarly, out of the 54 private NCE-awarding institutions, 12 were found duly registered with the National Commission for Colleges of Education, while the unregistered institutions are operating without meeting the prescribed minimum basic requirements.”
“The existence of these unregistered private NCE-awarding institutions is negatively affecting the enrolment of prospective candidates into existing conventional and accredited public institutions.”
Muhammad, therefore, said the committee recommended that “the state government be advised to enforce the total closure and proscription of all the illegal colleges of education and that all the illegal private colleges of education be blacklisted and prosecuted appropriately to serve as a deterrent to others.”
