Streamlining Varsities’ Programmes In Nigeria

The National Universities Commission (NUC), last year announced the de-accreditation of 150 undergraduate academic  programmes in 37 out of 143 universities in Nigeria. Similarly, the Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria (COREN) in its 151st extra-ordinary meeting disqualified 142 engineers from practising for studying unaccredited courses.
In the same vein, the Federal Ministry of Education recently directed the Joint Admissions And Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) and other relevant professional and technical bodies to delist courses from universities, especially specialised ones which derail from their original mandate or those with defective requirements that offer such programmes and courses.
These measures, as laudable as they may be, are geared towards ensuring that our universities, most of which are veering from their mandate, due to financial considerations, are re-positioned for qualitative education and certificates that can stand the test of time and acceptable globally.
The Tide endorses such moves by our authorities to sanitise the university system, be they private, public or specialised institutions that are offering programmes that fall short of international standards.
Cases abound where specialised varsities such as University of Agriculture or Engineering deviate completely from their mandate by opting for courses in Mass Communication or Law without the requisite facilities and manpower. This should not be.
While we support the scrapping of such programmes and courses, it will not, however, be out of place for students who had been enrolled and may have spent some years studying such courses to be allowed to complete their courses of studies before de-listing such programmes. This will ensure that the years and monies spent are not wasted.
It is quite unfortunate and embarrassing that some universities churn out graduates who cannot defend their certificates either in character or in learning. The trend must not be allowed to continue as it constitutes  national embarrassment.
The Tide therefore urges the federal authorities to quickly over-haul the university system and purge the NUC, JAMB and other relevant organs of bad eggs who short-change the system for financial and selfish reasons. Certificates and degrees awarded by an institution must compete favourably with those obtained in other parts of the globe.
The Federal Ministry of Education and other regulatory agencies and bodies must not allow further fresh intakes to these sub-standard programmes. Education is the bedrock for societal development and we must do the needful to ensure that its foundation is solid and the quality is assured.
To avert further national embarrassment, the Federal Government must put in place sanctions  for violation of set rules and other regulations governing universities in Nigeria.
Furthermore, the explosion in the ranks of private universities calls for even more diligent and patriotic supervision by all universities’ regulatory agencies to ensure that national education policy is not only pursued but that required infrastructure and optimal standards are maintained.
We also believe that streamlining unwersities’ proggrammes at this time of recession in the nation’s democratic evolution will make administration of the universities, private and government-owned cost effective.
Even so, The Tide urges the  regulatory bodies to continue to ensure that university education is not prized out of the reach of the ordinary citizens. The need for subsidized university education has become more pressing now than ever before.
The world is now a global village and education is one highly competitive sector that deserves priority in our quest for development.
Education must not be left for government alone to fund but all well-meaning individuals and corporate bodies, especially the Organized Private Sector (OPS) should partner or collaborate to fund researches by floating foundations and endowment programmes for specialised courses in our universities as is the case in other climes. Such partnerships will go a long way in our technological quest to develop in specialised areas for societal development.