North in self-imposed educational backwardness, says Adamu

Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has said that the current education backwardness being witnessed in northern part of the country was caused by people of the area.

He stated this, yesterday, during the public presentation of Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) Book 1 series for Nigerian universities and a book in his honour in Abuja.

Adamu, who commended the National Universities Commission (NUC) for its drive in ensuring the establishment of more private universities in Nigeria, said the Commission’s effort is paying off with the springing up of more of such institutions in northern Nigeria in recent times.

“The North is in self-imposed educational backwardness because the interest of the North is Islam, and Islam is the greatest promulgator of knowledge.

“So, the first two universities in the world were established by Muslim women and here people are using Islam to keep women at home. I think it does not make sense,” the minister said.

Adamu, however, expressed delight that out of the 37 new private universities approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Monday, large numbers of them are situated in the North.

The minister, who spoke on CCMAS, said the new curriculum would go a long way in adding value to graduates being churned out from Nigerian universities.

“We must continue to ensure graduates from Nigerian universities are equipped with needed skills, knowledge and expertise to enable them to succeed in the 21st century.

“We must consistently strive to improve our educational programmes and learning with the reality of global best practices,” he said.

The outgoing minister also used the event to call for the establishment of Federal Teachers Service Commission, saying such move would ensure reforms put in place in the teaching profession yield desired results.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Rasheed Abubakar, commended the minister for his several achievements recorded under his watch, especially in the area of universities development.

“As of yesterday morning, there were 111 private universities in the country. As of yesterday evening, the number had risen to 148 private universities in the country. That is, of the 148 private universities in Nigeria, 87 or 60 per cent came during Adamu Adamu as Minister of Education,” the NUC boss said.

Rasheed, who also described CCMAS as a game-changer in Nigerian universities, commended former NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Peter Okebukola, for his role in university development, describing him as chief architect of the curriculum.

Similarly, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, said the CCMAS is a right step in the right direction.