Education

Premium on Varsity Certification Fuelling Illegal Institutions, Says NUC

By Web News 311

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has blamed the proliferation of illegal degree awarding institutions on parents whom he said had placed a premium on university certification.

The Acting Executive Secretary, Mr Chris Maiyaki, said this on Sunday in Abuja during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He told NAN that unaccredited degree awarding institutions and satellite campuses remained banned in the country.

He advised parents to thoroughly scrutinise institutions before sending their wards there to acquire certificates.

“Everybody is right to pursue university education but how you go about it is the crux of the matter.

“The challenge of access, the huge gap between supply and demand makes parents desperate about getting university education for their children  and this makes them vulnerable to greedy and fraudulent persons with commercial undertone,” he said.

Maiyaki explained that a committee was however set up to stamp out illegal institutions across the country.

“When we were challenged by this menace of our satellite campuses, NUC in 2000 undertook resource assessment of all outreach centres and we came up with the state of affairs of satellite campuses.

“We wrote to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and FEC was so gracious and there was a total ban on satellite campuses at that time.

“We took a step further at NUC and shut down these centres. So satellite campuses remain banned and outlawed.

“We establish a committee on the closure of illegal universities and we mandated it to identify, locate and prosecute those perpetrating illegalities and we also do this in a multi- stakeholders collaboration involving security agencies,” he said.

He also said a committee was reconstituted in 2021 to identify and prosecute operators of illegal institutions noting that effort  recorded a huge success.

Vanguard/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Education

NUC Executive Secretary Resigns

By Web News 580

The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Abubakar Rasheed has voluntarily resigned from the Commission.

He is to continue lecturing at the Bayero University, Kano from where he was appointed.

Professor Rasheed who stated this to newsmen on Monday in Abuja said he had spent seven years as the Executive Secretary of NUC.

FRCN Abuja / Titilayo Kupoliyi

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Education

NUC Advocates Open Distance, E-Learning

By Web News 672

Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abubakar Rasheed, has said the Commission is reviewing its guidelines released in 2022 to further aid in expanding access to university education in Nigeria through the instrumentality of Open Distance and e-Learning.

Rasheed disclosed this at the inaugural conference of Open , Distance and e-Learning Association of Nigeria (ODeLAN) which took place at Babcock University. 

The NUC executive secretary was a distinguished guest of honour at the inaugural conference of the ODeLAN with the theme, “Global Spaces, Local Context: Digital Transformations and Innovations in Open, Distance and E-Learning”.

He said once the guidelines for the establishment of Private open universities in Nigeria were ready for use, NUC would begin to grant approval to interested promoters to start floating open universities in the country.

“With the guidelines for the provision of Transnational Education (TNE), NUC is working with a 6-model guideline Model 1: Twinning/Articulation; Model 2: Branch Campus; Model 3: The Open & Distance Learning (ODL); Model 4: Franchise/Independent Institution; Model 5: Acquisition; and Model 6: Teaching Institutions”, he said. 

Rasheed, represented by the Director ODeL, Engineer (Dr.) Odedina, said as part of efforts to mainstream the integration of ICT tools into the activities of Nigerian universities, NUC conducted the first phase of e-learning readiness assessment visits to 30 universities in October 2021 and that the 2022 e-Learning Readiness Survey has just been concluded and its data analytics is currently ongoing.

In addition to the release of guidelines for e-Learning, Nigeria has been revered as one of the nations of the world that has its policy for Open Educational Resources (OER). Guidelines for the implementation of OER policy have also been developed”, he added.

He stated that capacity building remained one of its critical interventions in promoting ODeL in the Nigerian University system and as a result, is working closely with institutions and organizations to build human capital through training and retraining, workshops, conferences, symposium, and so on.

On its part, he said the commission would continue to work with the Open Distance and E-Learning Association (ODeLAN) in widening access to university education in Nigeria without compromising quality.

He said the commission would also continue to be firm in its position that quality must be maintained in all modes of delivery of university education in the Nigerian University system.

Vanguard/ Oluwayemisi Owonikoko

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Education

2023 Elections: NUC Orders Closure of Universities

By Web News 667

The regulatory agency for universities in Nigeria, the National Universities Commission, NUC, has ordered the closure of universities across the country to enable students to participate in the 2023 general elections.

In a letter addressed to Vice-Chancellors of all universities and directors of Inter-University Centres, the NUC noted that the directive was based on the directive of the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.

“As Vice-Chancellors of all Universities and Director/Chief Executive of Inter-University Centres are quite aware the 2023 General Elections have been scheduled to hold on Saturday, February 25, 2023, for the Presidential and National Assembly, and Saturday, March 11, 2023, for Gubernatorial and State Assembly, respectively.

“In view of the foregoing and concerns expressed on the security of staff, students and properties of our respective institutions, the Honourable Minister of Education, Mallam Adama Adamu has following extensive consultations with the relevant security agencies, directed that all Universities and Inter-University Centres be shut down and academic activities be suspended between February 22 and March 14, 2023.

“Consequently, Vice-Chancellors and chief executives of Inter-University Centres, are by this Circular requested to shut down their respective Institutions from Wednesday 22nd February 2023 to Tuesday 14th March 2023.

“Please, accept the renewed assurances of the Executive Secretary ‘s highest regard for your understanding and unwavering cooperation”, the letter from the NUC read.

Punch/ Oluwayemisi Owonikoko

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Education

FG Withdraws Order to Re-open Varsities

By Web News 562

The Federal Government, through the National Universities Commission (NUC), on Monday afternoon withdrew a circular directing the reopening of federal public universities.

The directive was given to Vice-Chancellors, Pro-Chancellors and Governing Councils to re-open Federal Universities.

The government had in a circular tagged NUC/ES/138/Vol.64/135 addressed to all vice-chancellors; Pro-Chancellors and chairmen of governing councils of federal universities, ordering them to re-open universities.

FG to VCs: Reopen Schools

The circular was signed by the Director, Finance and Account of the NUC, Sam Onazi, on behalf of the Executive Secretary of the commission, Prof Abubakar Rasheed.

However, in another circular tagged NUC/ES/138/Vol.64/136 which was also signed by the Director, finance and account of the NUC, Onazi, the commission withdrew the order.

No reason was given for the sudden withdrawal of the circular.

The Nation/Olaolu Fawole

Education

Vocational training needed at all educational levels in Nigeria – Professor Okojie

By Web News 701

Training on vocational and entrepreneurial skills should be made free and compulsory at all levels of education in Nigeria.

This was the submission of a former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, NUC, Emeritus Professor Julius Okojie at the maiden convocation of the First Technical University, Tech-U, Ibadan.

Delivering a lecturer on THE TOPIC, “A skilled and knowledgeable workforce: The key to sustainable development in Nigeria”, Emeritus Professor Okojie said vocational and entrepreneurial skills should be embedded in relevant curricula at all levels of education to aid the transformation of the Nigerian economy.

In an address, the Vice-Chancellor, Tech-U, Professor Ayobami Salami, while noting that the university had produced skilled graduates who were ready to contribute to the development of the country, urged the graduands to live up to expectations.

The Overall Best Graduating student, Miss Adewumi Afonja, in a valedictory speech, charged her fellow graduands to use the experiences and skills acquired during their school years to build a better nation.

The visitor to the university, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Olubamiwo Adeosun, reiterated the goal of the present administration to ensure free and qualitative education by investing robustly in the sector at all levels.

Radio Nigeria gathered that 63 students in 5 academic programmes graduated at the maiden convocation, out of which 12 graduated with first-class honours.

The highlight of the ceremony was the conferment of honorary degrees to distinguished personalities across the country.

Mosope Kehinde

Education

Prof. Advocates Inclusion of Experienced Professionals as Lecturers

By Web News 784

A professor of pharmacology, Mrs Chinedum Babalola has advocated inclusion of experienced practitioners as lecturers in Nigerian the Nigeria universities by the Nigeria Universities Commission.
Professor Babalola who is the Vice Chancellor, Chrisland University, Abeokuta made the recommendation at the commendation service for the late pioneer lecturer at the institution’s Mass communication department, Mr. Gbenga Ariba.
The vice chancellor explained that the lecturer-practitioner initiative will help universities in integrating academic work with real life experience for undergraduate students in every disciplines.
The professor of pharmacology stated that NUC should go beyond making PHD as basic qualification to teach in universities as being practiced by foreign universities.
The Vice-Chancellor said outstanding contributions of Late Gbenga Ariba to the university was due to his experience with Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN.
Late Mr. Gbenga Emmanuel Ariba served the university as pioneer lecturer and former Acting Head of Mass-Communication Department.

Wale Oluokun

Education

NUC Approves Three Universities for Delta State

By Web News 713

The National Universities Commission, NUC has approved three new universities for Delta State.

The Universities are Delta State University of Education Agbor, Dennis Osadebe University Asaba and Delta State University of Science and Technology Ozoro.

The Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Abubakar Rasheed while presenting the licence to the Delta state Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa in Abuja said the development would increase access to University Education.

FRCN Abuja

Education

UI: FG Suspends Meeting of Governing Council

By Web News 542

The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu has approved the suspension of all meetings of the Governing Council of the University of Ibadan.

This was conveyed in a letter to the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Education Ministry, Mr. Sonny Echono.

The letter which stated that resumption of any further meeting would be communicated by the ministry, empowered the NUC to ensure full compliance on the Minister’s directive to the premier university.

It would be recalled that University of Ibadan had been witnessing leadership selection tussle following multiple allegations of malpractices in the selection process for the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor.

The process was suspended last November and the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academics, Prof. Babatunde Ekanola moved in acting capacity for the next six months.

Dayo Adu