RSITIE VE S C NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES COMMISSION NI O U M L M A I S N S O I I O T N A N T E HO IC UG ERV HT AND S MONDAA PUBLICATION OF THE OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY Y www.nuc.edu.ng th 0795-3089 13 January, 2020 Vol. 15 No. 2 We’re Making NUS More Innovative —— Prof. Rasheed lists reforms h e E x e c u t i v e While reviewing the activities repositioning agenda of NUC, Secretary, National of the Commission in the past the university system had in TU n i v e r s i t i e s Commission (NUC), Professor Abubakar Rasheed, mni, MFR, FNAL, has reaffirmed that the Commission was committed to ensuring that Nigerian University System ( N U S ) b e c a m e m o r e innovative and research- oriented. In his new year message, Prof. Rasheed expressed profound appreciation to the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, the National Assembly, Federal Ministry of Education, NUS and other stakeholders in Chairman, NUC Board, Prof. Ayo Banjo and Executive Secretary, NUC, Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed the education sector for the achievements recorded by the year, Professor Rasheed stated the past three years, been Commission in 2019. t h a t f o l l o w i n g t h e undergoing series of reforms in this edition NUC Unbundles NUC Approves Mass Communication FUT Minna Centre for Open Distance and Pg. 8 e-Learning Pg. 9 EDITORIAL BOARD: Ibrahim Usman Yakasai (Chairman), Mal. Haruna Lawal Ajo (Editor), Ogbonnaya Okoronkwo, Mrs. Franca Chukwuonwo, Miss Bunshak T.S, Francis Azu, Udey Felix, Aja-Nwachukwu Samuel, Sadiq Abubakar Enquiries: [email protected] 13th January, 2020 Vol. 15 No. 2 of university education in aimed at revitalising it. Nigeria to foster national approved the new universities development. namely Greenfield University, In achieving the set goals, he Kasarami, Kaduna, Kaduna said that the Commission had According to Prof. Rasheed as State; Dominion University, continued to stay focused on part of efforts towards Ibadan, Oyo State; Trinity ameliorating and subsequently University, Laloko, Ogun State addressing the daunting issue and Westland University, Iwo, of access to quality university Osun State. education in Nigeria, the Commission had continued to In formulating its reform encourage and professionally s t r a t e g i e s t o w a r d s guide the expansion of the repositioning the NUS, the Nigeria University System C o m m i s s i o n h a s b e e n (NUS) through establishment engaging in some activities of more universities. including management retreats Dr. Suleiman Ramon-Yusuf He said that there was low DES, Academic carrying capacity of the reforming the system through existing universities as against curriculum reengineering, the growing number of i n t r o d u c t i o n o f n e w qualified candidates who programmes, unbundling of annually sit for the entrance s o m e p r o g r a m m e s a n d examination into university u n d e r t a k i n g r o u t i n e but could not gain admission as accreditation exercise and a result of limited available resource verification visits as space. w e l l a s r e s e a r c h a n d Dr. Gidado Bello Kumo innovation. Towards the end of 2018, the DES, Administration NUC Governing Board and through the constituted approved and recommended to While listing some of the Strategy Advisory Committee the Federal Ministry of ongoing reforms in the (STRADVCOM), headed by E d u c a t i o n ( F M E ) , t h e university system, he assured former NUC Executive e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f f o u r that the Commission would Secretary, Professor Peter additional private universities. continue to bring more Okebukola, to work out a road The Federal Executive Council innovations in the development map for revitalising the NUS. (FEC) in January 2019, Page 2 A Publication of The Office of The Executive Secretary 13th January, 2020 Vol. 15 No. 2 He said that the Committee, Commission has consistently won and joined the project. had been able to publish the and successfully conducted the This has brought about 17 Blueprint on the Rapid r o u t i n e p r o g r a m m e s ACEs in Nigeria operating in Revitalisation of University a c c r e d i t a t i o n o f o l d 14 Nigerian universities. programmes and Resource v e r i f i c a t i o n f o r n e w During the year under review, programmes to ensure that the the Commission embarked on requisite manpower and quality assurance assessment material resources in the visits to Open and Distance universities are in line with laid Learning (ODL) institutions; down academic standards. evaluation and monitoring of Both exercises have now been students support facilities and s t r u c t u r e d t o w a r d s s e r v i c e s i n s e l e c t e d standardisation of Nigerian universities; supervision of u n i v e r s i t i e s f o r g l o b a l advisory roles of parent competitiveness. Mr. Sam Onazi Director, Finance and Accounts The first accreditation exercise Education (2019-2023); conducted on the various Directory of full professors in programmes of the ten (10) Nigerian University System, pioneer Africa Centres of some monographs on different Excellence (ACEs), a World s u b j e c t s i n u n i v e r s i t y Bank-funded project, revealed education and Statistical impressive performances by D i g e s t f o r N i g e r i a n the special Centres which universities. The Blueprint earned them three million, covers some specific areas eight hundred and twenty nine Dr. Noel Biodun Saliu such as inadequacies in thousand ($3,829,000) dollars Director, Academic Planning facilities for teaching, learning grant from World Bank for their universities to affiliate and research; deficits in outstanding performances. institutions; evaluating the teacher quality and quantity quality of governance and including quality of professors The third phase of the project, management practices in as well as governance. A C E - I m p a c t h a s b e e n Nigerian private universities. concluded and seven more In the area of Quality C e n t r e s i n N i g e r i a n To ensure professionalism in Assurance and ensuring universities have successfully the NUS in line with global standards in the NUS, the Page 3 A Publication of The Office of The Executive Secretary 13th January, 2020 Vol. 15 No. 2 trend and best practices, the of the NUS should be rated The Commission has also in Commission has signed among the best three in Africa partnership with University of Memoranda of Understanding in terms of its relevance to L o n d o n ( U o L ) , b e e n (MoU) with some foreign producing nationally and developing strategies towards universities on series of regionally-relevant graduates expanding capacity on trainings and sensitisation who are high level human widening access to Open and workshops and seminars for resources for delivering on Distance Learning (ODL) to academic staff of Nigerian Africa’s Vision 2063 and meet the increasing demand for addressing global Sustainable university education in Nigeria Development Goals (SDGs). as well as assuring quality in ODL. In a bid to meet the global trend in technology, the Commission The Commission also recently has introduced Computing as convened an all stakeholder additional Discipline in the summit on Open Educational NUS making 14 Disciplines in Resources (OERs) which the system. produced a draft National policy on OERs for Higher Dr. Olamide Adesina Education Institutions (HEIs) Director, ODeL in Nigeria. The draft policy was presented at the 2nd World Universities. OER Congress in Slovenia, which was highly acclaimed by T h e C o m m i s s i o n i n participants. collaboration with the University of Sussex, United T h e C o m m i s s i o n a l s o Kingdom, had been organising embarked on a comprehensive professional development review of the entire university courses for Nigerian faculty. curricula and a draft of the The intensive training was Mr. Chris Maiyaki B e n c h m a r k M i n i m u m Director, DESO aimed at improving the Academic Standard (BMAS) pedagogical knowledge, skills has been sent to universities Also, to meet the National and competence of Nigerian and relevant stakeholders for manpower need, some new academics, in line with inputs and comments. It is the programmes were introduced contemporary competitive goal of the Commission that by into the NUS and the Higher education sector. the end of 2020, the curriculum Commission has currently Page 4 A Publication of The Office of The Executive Secretary 13th January, 2020 Vol. 15 No. 2 developed BMAS for some Communication studies. in active collaborations with n e w u n d e r g r a d u a t e foreign institutions and programmes in the NUS.