Photo File : National Commission for Colleges of Education

The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has uncovered and shut down 22 illegal Colleges of Education across the country.

The discovery was made during a nationwide crackdown on unlicensed tertiary institutions. According to the commission’s performance report, the NCCE also carried out personnel audits and financial monitoring in all 21 federal colleges of education.

President Bola Tinubu had earlier charged regulatory agencies—including the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the NCCE—to clamp down on illegal higher institutions of learning.

Speaking at the 14th convocation of the National Open University of Nigeria in Abuja, the President, represented by the Director of University Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Rakiya Ilyasu, described such institutions as “certificate millers” undermining the credibility of the education sector.

He emphasized that his administration would not tolerate any practices that compromise the integrity of the nation’s academic system.

“At this juncture, it has become imperative to reiterate that this administration remains committed to strengthening the integration of all agencies involved in the administration of education to enhance efficiency and quality,” Tinubu said.

He added that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the NUC, the NBTE, and the NCCE are working in alignment to ensure improved educational standards and to eliminate forgery and unrecognized institutions within and outside the country.