Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State has approved the indefinite suspension of 15 lecturers of the state’s College of Education, Ikwo.
The affected lecturers were alleged to have gained employment in the institution with forged Masters and Doctorate degree certificates.
The Personal Assistant to the state governor on higher education, Prof. Mike Itumo, who confirmed this to DailyPost on Thursday, said that the suspension which was approved by the institution’s disciplinary body has been signed by Gov. Elechi.
He added that further sanctions would be given to the lecturers at the end of the on-going full-scale investigation.
He said: “There is an ongoing investigation into the allegation and, as soon as it is concluded, further sanctions will be announced.
“Forgery is a criminal offence and our system frowns at it, and so we shall not hesitate to institute criminal proceedings against those found liable.
“We are determined to clean up the augean stable and we will stop at nothing to achieve this”.
He disclosed that plans to upgrade the institution to a degree-awarding college had reached final stage, warning that government would, henceforth, clamp down on illegal and unapproved satellite campuses and study centres of unrecognised institutions of higher learning operating in the state.
He stressed that the state would not recognise certificates or degrees obtained from such institutions for employment or any other academic related purpose.
His words: “We are committed to entrenching academic excellence in order to safeguard the future of our state and that of our children.
“In doing this, we shall ensure that those we have entrusted with the academic destiny of the state are those qualified to do it.
“We will not condone in our tertiary education system those whose academic qualifications are questionable; nothing short of the best is acceptable to us”.
Comments