Why Nigeria needs more universities, by NUC boss

The acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Chris Maiyaki, has responded to those c

riticising the Federal Government for approving more universities, saying that the current 272 public and private institutions are not enough to accommodate the growing demand for university education by the teeming Nigerian youths.

While comparing the population bracket of Nigeria to those of India, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, the United States and Russia, Maiyaki noted that enrollment of just two million Nigerians in universities represented barely one per cent, saying it was not good enough.

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have been at loggerheads with the government over-proliferation of universities, wondering why the Federal Government has continued to approve new universities when existing ones are not properly funded.

ASUU president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, insisted that the Act establishing the NUC should be amended to make it more potent in arresting excessive establishment of universities in Nigeria.

Osodeke lamented that the trend has put much stress on intervention funds of the Tertiary Education Fund (TETFund), which are diverted to the new universities, contrary to the Act establishing it.

“What we need are universities that are adequately empowered to address the challenges confronting Nigeria and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their peers elsewhere in the world, not mushroom-glorified high schools,” Osodeke said.

However, the NUC boss in his reaction, justified the need for the establishment of more universities in Nigeria to cater for the growing demands of applicants.

He said: “In an enrollment of two million Nigerians, barely one per cent are in the university, while in some of these countries, they have over 25 per cent of their population in the university.”

Maiyaki said the government would continue to approve new universities until the teeming Nigerian youths desirous of acquiring a university education are comfortable.

He added that as part of NUC’s efforts to improve the quality of education in Nigeria, it had finalised guidelines on Transnational Education (TNE), thereby opening doors for foreign educational institutions to participate in Nigeria’s university education landscape.

He added that the new standards being laid out by the commission were intended to serve as a guiding light towards a future where the quality of teaching, learning, and research in Nigerian universities would stand out unrivalled.

Maiyaki said the NUC has identified strategic priorities that encompass curriculum development, quality assurance, research and innovation, infrastructure development, deeper information technology penetration, and internationalisation, among others, to ensure better outcomes from the Nigerian university system for national development.

He said NUC remains steadfast in its commitment to reposition the Nigerian university system for excellence and global competitiveness.

“To encourage partnership 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 fourth industrial revolution, and the 21st 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 to enhance teaching and learning.

He said the commission has also improved the guidelines on Open and Distance Learning (ODL) programmes, ensuring integration and mainstreaming of e-learning into the conventional face-to-face modes of teaching and learning in Nigerian universities for “quality delivery and to keep pace with contemporary global best practices.”