Education
Educationist Tasks NUC On Accessible Varsity Education
The National Universities Commission (NUC) and other stakeholders in the education sector have been called upon to constitute a committee to make university education more accessible and result-oriented for the teeming population seeking tertiary education in Nigeria.
A seasoned educationist and former Zonal Director, Ministry of Education, Opobo/Nkoro LGA, Senibo Geoffrey Festus Toby, said that the commission and other stakeholders should be disturbed about the nation’s growing population and the high demand for higher education.
Speaking with The Tide on Wednesday at Opobo Town on the need for making education more accessible in Nigeria, Toby stressed that Nigeria’s 143 universities could only accommodate 500,000 students which represent 67 per cent of admission seekers.
According to him, “Nigeria currently is projected to be the third largest population by the year 2050. The concern of NUC and other stakeholders should be on how to educate this number of population when the need arises”.
He stressed that the NUC just commissioned team headed by a renowned scholar, Prof. Peter Okeb Ukolato to bring out acceptable blue-print that will help the nation to survive the population, explaining that the commission should also ensure that Nigerian universities catch up with global happenings.
Toby commended some Nigerian universities for partnering with United Kingdom’s University of Bradford for joint research and teaching.
As he puts it, seven Nigerian universities have signified interest to join the World Technology Universities Network (WTUN) championed by the UK’s University, such as the University of Port Harcourt, University of Benin, Rivers State University, University of Calabar, Akwa Ibom State University, University of Uyo, Niger Delta University and African University.
WTUN, he noted is a consortium of universities committed towards the provision of professional and vocational courses with excellent job prospects for graduates in Nigeria.
He, however, stated that the global university should run staff and students exchanges as well as joint teaching and research programmes.
The former education boss stressed on the need for the nation to entrench peace education in its institution’s curriculum.
Toby added that education was vital to the promotion of peace and mitigation against conflict in Nigeria.
Bethel Toby
The River State Commissioner for Education, Dr Peters Nwagor has called on media practitioners in Rivers State to deploy their various communication platforms toward promoting government programmes and policies aimed at achieving sustainable development in the education sector. Dr. Nwagor made the appeal when members of the Etche Ethnic Practicing Journalists (EEPJ) paid him a courtesy visit in Office in Port Harcourt. The Commissioner emphasized the strategic role of the media in shaping public perception, promoting government initiatives, and supporting policies capable of improving the quality of education and human capital development in the state. According to him, constructive media engagement remains essential in creating public awareness on educational reforms, students’ welfare, infrastructural improvements, and other interventions being implemented by the state government. Speaking on the recent appro
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