NBTE engages security agencies, others to weed out illegal health institutions

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has engaged security agencies, heads of health colleges and registrars of health professional bodies to weed out illegal health institutions in the country.
The Executive Secretary of the board, Prof. Idris Bugaje, said this at a one-day meeting with provosts, proprietors, principals of health institutions and registrars of health professional bodies in Kaduna on Thursday.
Bugaje expressed concern over proliferation of illegal colleges of health sciences and technology, adding that many of such institutions were swindling students and giving them unrecognised certificates.
He described the situation as “worrisome”, where some two-bedroom apartments were converted to colleges of health technology, offering all kinds of courses.
He warned that anybody who decided to call its programme National Diploma (ND) or Higher National Diploma (HND) without NBTE registration and accreditation, is creating serious problem for himself.
According to him, NBTE is determined to clean up the system because health is the wealth of any nation.
“This is why we invited all the provosts and proprietors of health colleges, both legal and illegal and professional bodies, to discuss the challenges and develop a common roadmap to address them.
“If it is the registration conditions that are too stringent, let us know so that we can review what can be reviewed without compromising standard.
“We will give a moratorium for every health institution to go and regularise its registration, after which,
we will bring the full ambit of the law and security agencies at our disposal to close the illegal ones.”
The executive secretary said that the NBTE had already reviewed the N100 million Bank Guarantee mandatory requirement for registration to N25 million.
He disclosed that some of the operators of illegal health colleges were currently being investigated by the Department of State Services (DSS) in two states.