Minister Cautions Over Proliferation Of Honorary Doctorate Degrees

The minister of education, Prof Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai, has cautioned universities on the award of honorary doctorate degrees which she said is not in the best interest of the education sector

The minister who spoke yesterday during a meeting with all vice-chancellors of federal universities, said the federal government had noticed with dismay the proliferation of honorary doctorate degrees in Nigerian universities which to a large extent has tarnished the image of the sub-sector. she said “apart from the preponderance of the awards, government is concerned with the eligibility criteria and the credibility of the recipients which have both diminished its real essence”.

She called on the vice-chancellors to restore the good tradition and avoid making it an all comers affair as convocation ceremonies are all about graduating students, which should take pre-eminence.