Initiatives to Boost Nigerian University System: NUC Plan for More Universities
The Federal Government has announced plans to expand the number of universities in the country. The Chairman of the NUC, while speaking on the number of universities in the country, noted that the number of students applying for admission far exceeds the capacity of existing universities. This is why there is a pressing need for Nigeria to continue to increase access by establishing more universities to meet the demand for quality education,’ he added.
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The Federal Government has announced plans to expand the number of universities in the country.
The Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Chris Maiyaki, disclosed this while urging the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resolve the strike, adding that measures are being put in place to reinstate the governing councils of universities.
The Chairman of the NUC, while speaking on the number of universities in the country, affirmed the commission’s commitment to expanding access to higher education. ‘With the current 272 universities under the NUC, we are unable to accommodate the ever-growing demand for university education by Nigerian youths,’ he remarked.
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He noted that the number of students applying for admission far exceeds the capacity of existing universities. ‘Each year, Nigerian universities receive close to two million applications, but only a small fraction are admitted. This is why there is a pressing need for Nigeria to continue to increase access by establishing more universities to meet the demand for quality education,’ he added.
Regarding the initiatives put in place by the NUC to enhance the nation’s university system, he mentioned that the NUC had identified strategic priorities including curriculum development, quality assurance, research and innovation, infrastructure development, and internationalization. ‘To foster partnerships with industry and promote blended learning, the NUC conducted an extensive review of university curricula, transitioning from the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standard to the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS), which align with Nigeria’s aspirations to become a knowledge economy driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and 21st-century skills,’ he explained.
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The CCMAS features an expansion of academic disciplines from 14 to 17, with implementation already underway for the 2023/2024 academic session. ‘The implementation framework of the CCMAS includes provisions for training staff in student-centered tuition delivery and the development of textual materials to enhance teaching and learning,’ the NUC head elaborated.
On the topic of Open and Distance Learning Guidelines, he stated, ‘To ensure quality in the regulation of the Nigerian University System (NUS), the Commission developed guidelines that 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.’
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‘This initiative was necessary to maintain quality in the delivery of university education through the Open and Distance Education mode and to keep pace with contemporary global best practices. As part of the efforts to expand open and distance learning in the Nigerian University System, the Commission produced the following guidelines,’ he concluded.
