FG approves online private varsity, 36 conventional others

FG approves online private varsity, 36 conventional others

The Federal Government has approved an online university and 36 other private universities.

Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said the Federal Executive Committee meeting presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo granted the approval at its extraordinary meeting held in Abuja on Monday.

He said with the 37 new universities, the number had brought to 72 the total number of universities licensed by the Buhari administration since 2015.

Although he did not name the universities, he said one of them is an online university, the first of its kind in Nigeria.

The online university, according to the minister, is owned by a woman from Bauchi State, with the expectation that it will cater for northern Muslim women who feel reluctant or are restrained from attending physical campus education.

Responding to a question on the rationale for additional universities given the funding challenges of existing ones, Adamu explained that the new institutions are all private, with enough funds to run them and they should not be denied the opportunity to exist.

Besides, he said Nigeria actually needs more universities as the available ones are not adequate to absorb all those aspiring for higher education.

FG approves online private varsity, 36 conventional others