University of Lagos (UNILAG) Vice Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, last Wednesday led academics in requesting for full autonomy to be given to universities to make choices.
This is against the backdrop of the controversy over the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards between the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
She urged  NUC and ASUU to arrive at a positive outcome on the controversy hovering around Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) and Benchmark Minimum Academic Standard (BMAS).
Her words: “I think what we want is the autonomy. We want the autonomy to choose exactly what we do and we will get there. We have a lot of new universities and maybe some of our older universities need less support than others.
“I think NUC is on the right part, but I understand where ASUU is coming from. We really want full autonomy. We would get there. I think we are on the right part. I think if we sit down together, some of these things would be resolved.
I also think there has been some misunderstanding.
“The initial BMAS was very restrictive. It was essentially a curriculum that was handed over. The CCMAS has given a little more lead way for universities to own their own curriculum.
“Both the BMAS and the CCMAS are still needful. From what NUC had said, they would constantly reduce their involvement in the BMAS.
“There’s BMAS in everywhere in the world. Just that ours was a little quite restrictive. What essentially they have been doing is reducing the restrictions, but we can still do better.
Also, an Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, UNILAG, Dr Tony Okeregbe, described the university as a learning field, not practical field. He added that the practical aspect of the curriculum does not sit well with higher institutions.
“NUC should have sensitised universities before carrying that project. Thereafter, it should have called some respected stakeholders in tertiary education to discuss the modalities before carrying out the new development. On their own part, they might think they might have done it.
“The template they brought to different universities somehow undermines the very meaning and intention of university education.
Their intention of bringing this is to make university as practical as possible. But they forget the university education is not as practical nor skill and expertise inclined.
“While we subscribe to their view that young people need skills, the kind of the skill they are talking about is different from what the university should provide. If you are talking about practical skills, you can do that anywhere, not in the university,” he noted.
To a professor of Philosophy, Prof. Douglas Anele, CCMAS is incomplete and inferior to the older BMAS. He also described it as an imposition of institution’s Senate body.
His words: “As a former Head of Department, we did a curriculum review in my department.
The curriculum we are running is superior to the one NUC is bringing.