CHIDIMMA UCHEGBU
The National Universities Commission (NUC), has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, for patience as the Federal Government is making efforts to reconstitute the governing councils of 61 public universities.
Acting Executive Secretary of NUC, Mr Chris Maiyaki, who made the appeal at a media parley with education reporters in Abuja, on Wednesday, said the Federal Government was working on the list of prospective council members.
While assuring that the governing councils would be inaugurated soon, Maiyaki said the selection process was slow because government was scouting for the best candidates to govern the country’s citadels of learning.
The NUC boss was responding to the two-week ultimatum issued by the Academic Staff Union of Universities for the government to reconstitute the governing councils of public universities.
“To reconstitute the councils of 61 universities is not a small feat. Government is working to ensure that people that are qualified and with the right pedigree are put in those councils,” he said.
Maiyaki, who acknowledged that the absence of governing councils for public universities was slowing down the administration of the universities, called on ASUU to remain calm while the selection process takes its course.
He also announced that there now 272 universities in Nigeria, noting however, that the number was not sufficient to accommodate the ever-growing demand for university education by Nigerian youths.
“Each year, Nigerian Universities receive close to 2 million applications to the Joint Admissions accommodated and Matriculation Board (JAMB), only a 2 million applications the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board. Only a small fraction of them is accommodated.
“It follows, therefore, that there is the need for Nigeria to continue to increase access by establishing more universities to meet the demand for quality education in the country,” he said
On the initiatives put in place by NUC to boost the nation’s university system, Maiyaki said the Commission has identified strategic priorities that encompass curriculum development, quality assurance, research and innovation, infrastructure development, and internationalisation, among others.
“To encourage partnerships with industry and promote blended learning, the NUC carried out an extensive review of university curricula from the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standard (BMAS) to the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS), which reflects the aspirations of Nigeria to attain a knowledge economy, driven by the 4 Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the 21 Century skills. The CCMAS features an expansion of academic disciplines from 14 to 17.
“The implementation of the new curricula came into effect in September 2023. for the 2023/2024 academic session. The implementation framework of the CCMAS makes provision for the training of staff in student-centred tuition-delivery capabilities and development of textual materials to enhance teaching and learning.
“Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Guidelines In a bid to assure quality in the regulation of the NUS, the Commission developed guidelines to provide a framework for the orderly adoption, integration and mainstreaming of e-learning into the conventional face-to-face modes of teaching and learning in Nigerian Universities, among other objectives.
“This initiative was needed to assure quality in the delivery of university education, via the Open and Distance Education mode, and keep pace with contemporary global best practices. The Commission produced the following guidelines, as part of the efforts to broaden open and distance learning in the Nigerian University System,” he said.
According to him, various guidelines including Guidelines on Trans-National Education, INE, in Nigeria; Guidelines for e-Learning in Nigerian Universities; Guidelines for the Implementation of the National Policy on Open Educational Resources, OER, in Nigerian Higher Education, and Guidelines for the Establishment of Private Open Universities in Nigeria have also been churned out by the commission.
“The Guidelines for Transnational Education (INE) allows foreign Universities to collaborate in creating high quality institutions in Nigeria through six competitive models This effort aims at making Nigerian graduates competitive, globally, so as to reduce the need for the nation’s young men and women going abroad to seek university education.
“The launch of these ODL guidelines marks a significant milestone in the history of the NUC towards its dedication to greater quality, equity and access to university education in Nigeria. It all follows from the recommendations for the establishment and expansion of universities, deeper IT penetration, and enhanced competencies in online delivery, ” he added.
