By Ngozi Nwankwo
Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman has stated that Federal Government has no intention to handover federal universities to the private investors.
Mamman was reacting on the news making rounds especially, on the report of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU accusing FG of making plans to handover federal universities to private investors.
The Minister cleared the air during
a meeting with Heads of agencies, parastatals and directors at the ministry of education in Abuja, Tuesday.
While faulting the claims of ASUU and misinformation from others, Mamman explained that FG only opened up tertiary institutions for corporation and to steer global competitiveness.
“There is no plan to sell off universities to investors. This government believes in the provision of government institutions and has not shied away from the force that the government needs from the private sectors. For decades now, private sectors have played a major role in the provision of tertiary education and there are more private universities in Nigeria than public universities combined.
“What the government has done is to open up the tertiary education level in particular, the universities for global competitiveness that allow those who operate in this area at international level to come into the country and set up institutions open for collaboration with our local universities under very guidelines of what is called trans-national education,” he said.
He explained that other parts of the world have benefitted from having international institutions setting up campuses or new institutions in those countries, which has taken standards in those countries.
“They have also saved those countries foreign exchange and brought more money into the country and that is what the government has done, it has opened up tertiary education so that people from the rest of the world can invest in our tertiary institutions system. Government is not parting with any of its institutions,” the minister said.
The minister emphasised need to allow those who operate universities at the international level to come into the country and set up institutions either for themselves or in collaboration with our local universities.
Mamman said that this was in no way to sell its institutions noting that guidelines on transnational education had been in place.
Meanwhile, Minister stressed on the importance of the meeting that aimed to assess their mileage, the direction taken in the implementation of key policies and review progress, possible challenges and also reaffirm commitment to overcome all the challenges.
He noted that the president made it clear since inception that the ministry is one of the core mandate of his government.
“If we get it right at the ministry of education it will be nice for the rest of the country because it is the manpower hub of the country and the mother ministry responsible for producing the leadership and manpower for the country,” he further advised.
Speaking earlier, the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tanko Sununu said the meeting was to critically examine the system.
Sununu said education must be earned by character, knowledge and skills.