FG Not Selling Varsities to Private investors, Says Minister

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, on Tuesday, debunked the claim that the Federal Government had plans to sell universities to private investors.

Mamman made this known at the Second Quarterly Engagement of the ministry with heads of units and chief executive officers of parastatals and agencies under the ministry.

Recall that the Academic Staff Union of Universities had accused the Federal Government of plans to hand over federal universities to investors through public-private partnerships.

The minister said, ”There is no plan to sell off universities to investors. The policy of the government allowed for transnational education.

“Some people are carrying information that the Federal Government is selling off to private investors its universities. This is an absolute lie and completely false.

“This government believes in our public institutions. However, as we all know, this government has reforms that this country needs.

“The private sector will play a major role in the provision of tertiary education as there are more private universities in Nigeria than public universities combined.

“What this government has done is to open up the tertiary education level, in particular the universities, for global competitiveness.”

He said that the situation was in no way to sell its institutions, noting that guidelines on transnational education had been in place.

He added that, “In other parts of the world, like Asia, they have benefited immensely from having international institutions in those countries.

“They have taken standards to those countries and also for the exchange and bringing money to those countries.”