The Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Chris Maiyaki has hinted that the Federal Government is working assiduously to reconstitute the governing councils of the 61 federal universities as soon as possible.
Maiyaki made this known while reacting to the two-week ultimatum issued by members of Academic Staff Union Universities (ASUU) for the government to reconstitute the governing councils earlier dissolved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu several months ago.
Speaking at a parley with newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja, Maiyaki revealed that the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman has put in place a Local Organizing Committee (LOC), which he is a member to work out modalities for a successful inauguration of the Council members.
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He said government working thoroughly on the list of nominees to ensure that only the best are engaged to complement the efforts of government in repositioning university education in the country.
While appealing to the leadership of ASUU to be patient with the government during the period, the NUC boss assured Nigerians that the councils would be inaugurated once the list was consummated.
“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,” Maiyaki said.
He acknowledged that the absence of governing councils for public universities was slowing down the administration of the universities.
He, however, frowned at those criticizing government for approving new universities, saying the Commission would continue to approve more universities as long as the country is under-subscribed.
“And for this, the current number of 272 Universities in the NUS not sufficient to accommodate the ever-growing demand for university education by Nigerian vouths. Each year, Nigerian Universities receive close two million applications through the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB), only a small fraction of them gain admission, 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 parmerships 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.
“On Open and Distance Learning (ODL), 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.
The acting Executive Secretary said 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 d 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 serk 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.