- The Federal Ministry of Education plans to establish an inter-ministerial commission to combat the proliferation of fraudulent degree mills
- The initiative, prompted by investigative reports on degree mills in Benin Republic and Togo, aims to protect the integrity of education
The Federal Ministry of Education is set to establish an inter-ministerial commission to combat the rampant proliferation of degree mills. The announcement was made by Ben Goong, the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, in Abuja.
The Education Minister, Prof. Tahir Mamman, is scheduled to inaugurate the inter-ministerial committee today, addressing the urgent need to tackle the operations of fraudulent degree providers.
The initiative comes from an investigative report by Umar Audu, a journalist with the Daily Nigerian newspaper. Audu uncovered the activities of degree mills in Benin Republic and Togo, shedding light on the ease with which individuals could obtain degrees illicitly.
The reporter’s firsthand account detailed how he acquired a degree within six weeks and subsequently served under Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps Scheme. Audu’s investigation exposed a syndicate selling fraudulent degree certificates, particularly from the Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
In response to these revelations, the Nigerian government swiftly suspended the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo institutions, acknowledging the need for stringent measures.
Minister Mamman affirmed the government’s commitment to expanding its scrutiny to include colleges in other African countries, such as Ghana, as part of a broader effort to curb the menace of fake degrees.
This proactive step underscores the government’s determination to safeguard the integrity of educational qualifications and maintain the credibility of academic institutions in the face of emerging challenges in the West African region.
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