ABUJA – Prof. Chris Ohuruogu of Afe Babalola University, has advised regulatory bodies in the education sector to ensure that private universities abide by admission quota allotted to them.
Ohuruogu gave the advice in a keynote address he delivered on Saturday in Abuja at the Graduation, Speech and Prize giving day of Pace Setters’ Schools.
He said both the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Joint Matriculation Board (JAMB) should ensure that private universities do not exceed the quota allotted to them.
“ When the regulatory bodies do not enforce the rules in terms of ratio of admissions to allotted quota, they break the rules.
“Many of the private universities need more students to survive and they also depend on tuition fees which should not be the case.
“ Many private universities are unmindful of the facilities, quality of teachers among others, and they go ahead and admit more than the carrying capacity,’’ he said.
Ohuruogu said that statistics of admission into private universities for 2013 did not reflect good performance of the institutions in terms of ratio to allotted quota.
The professor, who is also a consultant on Rule of Law, Good Governance and Development, urged the regulatory bodies to be firm in their decisions on allotted quota.
He urged the Federal Government to increase its investment in the education sector to improve the deteriorating conditions of public universities.
“So many people cannot afford to enrol into private schools; we need to do more to ensure that we give Nigerian children the opportunity to go to school, ‘’he said.
He appealed to the graduating students to shun vices and anti-social behaviours.
Earlier, the chairman of Pace Setters’ Mr Kenneth Imansuangbon, commended the graduating students on their achievements.
“As you go into higher education, I urge you to have good character, always be at your best; do not relent in your studies because the sky is your limit.” he said.
Imansuangbon also urged the government to rise up to its responsibilities in the education sector.
In his remark, Chief Olu Falae, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), advised the graduating students to study courses that would make them self employed after graduation from the university.
“Rather than being job seekers, you must set the pace for economic advancement of the country, that is the only way to solve unemployment in the country,’’ Falae said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the students received awards for the Imansuangbon Essay Competition for both the senior and junior categories.
The three winners from both categories received N50, 000, N25,000, N10, 000 and a laptop each. (NAN)
