The National Universities Commission has said online degrees obtained from foreign institutions will not be accepted as means of seeking employment or doing other legitimate business in Nigeria.
The commission also slammed Maryam Abacha American University in Niger Republic, saying it has been inundated with enquiries from some Nigerian applicants, who have been offered admission into the university.
NUC's Director of Information and Public Relations, Mr. Ibrahim Yakassai, made the announcement during a press briefing on Thursday evening in Abuja, against the backdrop of some foreign universities, which admitted students from Nigeria.
"We wish to restate that as the only quality assurance agency for universities in Nigeria, the NUC is maintaining its stand that degrees from Maryam Abacha University will not be accepted in Nigeria," the commission stated.
The NUC, which also discredited all part-time cross boarder education in Nigeria, therefore warned citizens against patronising online universities which offer academic programmes without physical contact with their students.
According to him, the Nigerian constitution has no backing neither does it recognise such degrees obtained online, saying students look for cheap means of acquiring qualifications to avoid competition at home.
He said, "Nigeria will not recognise online degrees. Online degrees are not accepted in Nigeria at the moment. The Nigerian constitution does not even give recognition to such degrees. Those who run out of Nigeria for study outside this country are those looking for cheaper degrees. It is either they cannot pass the examinations or they do not possess the minimum entry qualifications."
The NUC criticised the entry qualifications being used by Maryam Abacha American University, saying they were poor.
Yakassai said concerned students were offered admissions on part-time basis with a graduation time of four semesters for programmes including Nursing, Medical Laboratory Sciences and Public Health.
He said, "In Nigeria, the duration for a full time degree programme is not less than three years for direct entry and at least, six years for part-time, while professional programmes in Sciences, Engineering and Health Sciences, including Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science and Public Health are not offered on part-time basis in Nigeria."
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You sit there and say online degrees are illegal, yet graduates from your Universities here in Nigeria are no where near those who have these so called online degrees from the UK and the US.
ReplyDeleteKeep on deceiving yourselves you hear.
Your University system in Nigeria is dead. The curriculum is old and outdated. Your lecturers are too corrupt and inept. They only pass those who can pay or those who can write exactly what is in their notes or "handouts". That is why Nigerian graduates can't think for themselves. That is why our journalists have become copy and paste journalists.
Ask any UK or US University graduate, whether online or on premise, they will explain the meaning of plagiarism to you.
Remember how Lamido Sanusi plagiarized someone's work a few years ago? That is what you dumb Nigerian lecturers have turned Nigerian graduates to. A young graduate wrote that speech for Sanusi and saw nothing wrong in plagiarizing.
See how multinationals keep saying Nigerian graduates are unemployable? Its becos of the crap you teach in the schools that's why they are that way.
Just in case you have forgotten a larger percentage of Nigerian can't afford private Universities in Nigeria if they are any better. A lot of Nigerians can't afford to stay in the US or UK schooling becos they have people to look after in Nigeria.
Online degrees from these places is the only assurance of them getting a good job to provide for these people.
Just to let you know these so called online degree graduates for m a large percentage of you active middle class. If you exclude them and they leave this country for your unemployable graduates......you are OYO o.
Bros, you've said it all!
DeleteWell said and right on point. I guess the man wanted Buhari to see that he's working. Their secrets would soon be out.
DeleteYou sound like a very lazy individual trying to justify your awful choice. Nigerian universities graduates are breaking century-old records in so-called established universities abroad with the same curriculum you so disparaged here. How are they doing it? How come graduates of Delta State University, Abraka, Benue State University, Adekunle Ajasin University, Universities of Uyo, Ilorin, etc are doing very well in post-graduate schools abroad? You can hardly tune in your radio these days without hearing adverts of universities abroad coming to get Nigerian students, both at undergraduate and post-graduate level. Because the NUC says you lazy people should stop your lazy acts you are spilling bile against Nigerian educational system. Plagiarism was not invented in Nigeria, it is a world-wide phenomenon. High profile people even in the US have been accused and are being accused of plagiarism. A foremost CNN anchor Fareed Zakaria is in the middle of serial plagiarism scandal, two former German cabinet ministers resigned because of allegations of plagiarism, even Obama has been accused of plagiarism for the authorship of his two books. All over the world, countries' educational systems are highly regulated similar to what the NUC is doing here. Added to NUC's own role are professional bodies' accreditation of professional courses to weed out charlatans and maintain the standard practices. You cannot start practicing as a medical doctor in Nigeria without being vetted by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria even if you studied in Harvard for instance. How could a sane person be justifying a two-year online Nursing program and putting it on the internet after the Nursing Council has repeatedly say those programs are not acceptable? Is that not a license to mass murder? A large percentage cannot afford private university fees but private universities are not the only universities existing in Nigeria. Nigeria also has several federal and states universities among which is a very work-friendly National Open University of Nigeria for people who might not have the luxury of time to study full time. Many of these online universities and their programs are not even accepted in the countries where the websites are hosted. Someone who was boasting like you recently got a shocker when he was told that his so-called online degree was not acceptable by a UN agency but someone with a lesser degree from a Nigerian second generation university was quickly absorbed. Where you got your data about the composition of Nigeria's middle class is suspect; because you possess one wishy-washy online program's certificate does not mean everyone in the middle class has. Nigeria's "unemployable" graduates are the same people creating new sectors in the economy and running the economy to the admiration of all. The economy has been growing at 6% average over the past decade making Nigeria economy become the biggest in Africa. If any university wants it's online program accepted in Nigeria, it should subject their system to thorough accreditation by the NUC and Nigeria's professional bodies. People who cannot pass JAMB or go through simple process of examinations should not seek short-cut to academic success and try to force us to accept their choice.
DeleteThis man is still living in the dark ages. Great Universities in U.K and U.S like Harvard University offers online courses and it is highly recognized just as degree obtained on-campus. NUC may not recognize these online degrees, but a lot of private sectors in Nigeria does. I know that.
ReplyDeleteOga NUC...are u taking Nigerians forward or backwards....nursing and medical laboratory are not at least 6 years...it is 4 years or 5 years in sm universities in Nigeria...pls stop exposing ur ignorance....if nuc have sm issues with sm online university they shld investigate and place rules on such university not on line university...and am sure if the said Abacha was alive u will only ask for adjustment of their programme in the university...am sure of that
ReplyDeleteThe NUC is living in the past. If the NUC has specific issues with Maryam Abacha American University in Niger Republic, it should seek to resolve it with the education and accreditation authorities in that country. Using a single case study to measure every foreign university is inappropriate.
ReplyDeleteWell, noun , the open university of Nigeria is more or less online method. Education should be just much more or than getting a piece of paper called certificate. I know much of all these thing now is driven by money. Look at the proliferation of useless primary, secondary and tertiary schools in Nigeria and the fees they charge yet they teach nothing. Now talk about online decrees. I do not regard any online degree.It is useless
ReplyDeleteNUC or whatever, u are talking nonsense
ReplyDeleteI will like you to show the list of foreign university that are recognise bu your organisation.
ReplyDeleteNurdeenlomo@gmail.com