NBTE shuts Crown Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti

THE monitoring body for tertiary technical institutions in the country, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), has withdrawn the accreditation of all programmes offered at Crown Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, citing breach of standards.

According to a letter to the institution's Proprietor, dated August 2, 2013, and signed by NBTE Executive Secretary, Dr. Masa'udu Kazaure, the 'withdrawal of accreditation of programmes in Crown Polytechnic has become necessary in view of myriad petitions received from organisations, government agencies and students on the conduct and operation of the polytechnic.'

Kazaure explained: 'Subsequent investigation by the Board revealed that the polytechnic had been operating in contravention of the Basic Minimum Academic Standards as prescribed by law.'

The Board noted: 'Crown Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, had been running ND and HND programmes in 30 centres across the country, particularly in Yenagoa, Kabba, Akure, Ondo and in various towns in Ekiti State. This is in contravention of the Federal Executive Council's directive against operation of satellite/outreach centres by all tertiary education institutions in the country.

'It was further established that the Polytechnic had been running unapproved ND programmes in Urban and Regional Planning, Quantity Surveying and Public Administration and had submitted list of students for mobilisation to NYSC in unapproved HND Computer Science and Electrical/Electronics Engineering programmes.

'The Board has, therefore, directed the Polytechnic to stop all academic activities in all its illegal satellite/outreach study centres; close down the illegal campuses/centres; report these centres to the security agencies, where appropriate, to ensure that they do not propagate or relocate to other addresses.'

NBTE officials also asked the institution to 'publish a disclaimer of names and addresses of these illegal /satellite campuses in at least two national dailies for the information of the public, as well as ensure that the institution would not engage in any further collaboration or unapproved affiliation with any person/organisation to run any programme again.'