NUC cautions professional bodies against dabbling into accreditation of academic programmes’

Citing consistent double standards and needless drills of universities over programmes accreditation, the National Universities Commission (NUC), has cautioned professional bodies in the country to concentrate on their statutory requirements, rather than contending with its (NUC’s) constitutional role of evaluating and accrediting academic programmes in universities.

Executive secretary of the commission, Prof. Julius Okojie, who sounded the warning in Kano State, insisted that only the NUC, and not any professional institution could approve, sanction or withdraw accreditation granted academic programmes in the nation’s universities.

Prof. Okojie spoke after commissioning the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Science, dean’s office and the Agricultural Economics and Extension Resource Centre, at the Kano State University of Science and Technology, Wudil, where he posited that several petitions and complaints bothering on extraordinary standard and conditions being pegged by some professional associations would soon be examined by the commission dispassionately, in line with the laws and regulations guiding the institutions.

The NUC boss challenged the management of the institution to focus more on capacity building of staff and equipping of facilities to enhance the smooth accreditation of its programmes, just as he applauded the level of physical growth and prudent resource management in the school.

“Universities must start looking inwards to improve the system. They must be innovative by looking at their immediate communities to see what they can engage in to raise funds. As you are already aware, the Federal Government alone cannot fund the system,” he stated.

Vice chancellor of the school, Prof. Shehu Musa drew the attention of the NUC to several predicaments militating against the smooth accreditation of some academic programmes in the university, including stringent conditions set by various professional bodies.

He suggested unifying accreditation teams, by combining both the NUC and the professional bodies, a development he said would make for coordinated exercises.