Nigeria: FG Suspends Medicine, Three Other University of Abuja Programmes
The Federal Government on Tuesday in Abuja announced the suspension of four academic programmes of University of Abuja (UniAbuja).The programmes are Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Engineering and Agriculture.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa'i, said the action was to protect the quality of the university education system.
Rufa'I added that the ministry was inundated with complaints by students and their parents on the status of the four professional programmes.
She said it was pertinent to note that before the establishment of the programmes, many factors should have been considered.
The minister identified the factors to include the physical infrastructure, such as lecture halls and theatres, learning resources and staff and consultation with relevant professional bodies.
She said "these factors were not considered before the establishment of the courses."
Rufa'i added that students were admitted to these programmes against the advice of the NUC.
"It is on record that the university had continued to offer these programmes against the NUC directive on their stoppage.
"Consequently, we are now in a situation where students who were admitted into these programmes spent so many years without a graduation date."
The education minister directed that all new admissions into the programmes remained suspended, while NUCand JAMB should work out the modalities for redistributing the students already admitted into the four programmes to other universities.
She urged UniAbuja to absorb some of the affected students into accredited interrelated degree programmes.
Rufa'i directed the NUC to identify such programmes in the university system for the ministry's similar action.
"The ministry has initiated the process of strengthening the governance structure of the university to ensure compliance and effective programmes development."
