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NUC unveils four years strategic blueprint for varsities

By Oluwaseun Akingboye, Akure
02 May 2019   |   3:04 am
Amid criticisms over the proliferation of private universities, the National Universities Commission (NUC) has mapped out a four-year strategic plan to produce globally competitive graduates. Executive Secretary the commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed who disclosed this at the 3rd matriculation ceremony of Elizade University, Ilara-mokin also expressed government’s readiness to provide the required funding for the…

The stakeholders charge came at a roundtable on university-industry linkages organised by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in Abuja

Amid criticisms over the proliferation of private universities, the National Universities Commission (NUC) has mapped out a four-year strategic plan to produce globally competitive graduates.

Executive Secretary the commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed who disclosed this at the 3rd matriculation ceremony of Elizade University, Ilara-mokin also expressed government’s readiness to provide the required funding for the project.

The NUC boss who was represented by the Director, Quality Assurance, Dr Noel Saliu said government was not just interested in increasing access to loan but achieving expanded assess without compromising quality.

He argued that since universities are quality assurance institutions by design, they must reflect quality in all their operations.

Consequently, he stated that the new innovations would guarantee that graduates of Nigerian universities will not only be nationally relevant but also globally competitive.

Besides, he added that in a bid to rejuvenate Nigerian universities, the commission has developed a blueprint for the rapid revitalisation of university education in Nigeria from 2019 to 2023.

“The development of the blueprint was though on an extensive multi- stakeholder base and that input were sought from students, parents, teaching and non-teaching, vice chancellors and other stakeholders. Data were gathered to determine our rank and challenges faced in the system at this time, as well as to seek practicable and sustainable solutions to the challenges and the cost implication for the solution.”

On the challenges of governance in private universities, he added that NUC has also produced the board of corporate governance for the institutions to guide the proprietors, board of trustees, governing council and university management in the governance of the university.

“The document clearly delineates the role of each level of governance structure of a university to improve governance in our tertiary institutions,” he said.

Prof Rasheed, while lauding Elizade University for its achievements in its seven years of existence said the Federal Government will continue to be grateful to the private sector for its involvement in the delivery of quality university education in
Nigeria.

“The participation of the private sector has, to a very large extent, expanded accessibility of education, even though the carrying capacity of all the private universities put together is less than the public universities.

“However, government believes that as the private universities continue to grow and develop, they will be able to admit many students as the public universities.”

He solicited the cooperation of all stakeholders, in achieving the strategic objectives of the blueprint, “so that the document would not go the way of past strategic documents that were not implemented.”

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