The National Universities Commission, NUC, says it approved and licensed 75 universities in the past six years as part of Federal Government’s policy to ensure access to university education.
Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, who disclosed this in Abuja at a media parley with education correspondents on Wednesday, said 10 federal,15 states and 50 private universities were approved during the period.
Rasheed disclosed that there are currently 220 universities in the country, 50 federal, 59 states and 111 private, and that many more licenses are being processed.
Speaking on the new Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards, CCMAS, launched earlier in the week, he said the document is very unique as it is a product of negotiations, unlike the old Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards, BMAS, which was the product of NUC.
He noted that NUC brought together professors from universities and industry players to participate in making inputs on the skills required by the industry to meet the needs of society before coming up with the curriculum.
The NUC boss also said the commission restricted itself to 70 per cent of the core curriculum, including the international and Nigerian components, while 30 per cent was left for universities to build in their own peculiarities and characters into the programmes.
Rasheed further stated that in the new curriculum, mass communication was broken into eight different courses including BA strategic communication and development communication among others, adding that by the unbundling, universities can now have a full faculty of communication.
On the allegations raised by Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, over forced conversion of Muslims in some universities, he said NUC has not received any formal complaint to that effect, neither has it heard of any incident.
He however urged universities to ensure unfettered access is provided to all qualified candidates to gain admission and complete their programmes, irrespective of faith, creed or nationality.
According to him, operational licenses were not issued to any university with a clear religious name, adding that in the spirit of their universal appeal, access should be provided to anyone qualified to study in the universities.
On the war against illegal degree mills, he said a committee has been put in place to weed out illegal universities, and that the commission is doing its best, and will continue to publicise the list of approved universities in the country.
While stating that committee has been in talks with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to flush out illegal universities, he urged members of the public to assist in reporting illegal universities as the task of safeguarding the quality of the university system is not only that of the NUC.
He noted that the commission is facing very serious challenges from universities, especially the incessant strike actions which have continued to disrupt the academic calendar of the institutions, and called for concerted effort to ensure that the system continues to thrive.
Rasheed described ASUU strike as the single biggest threat to the nation’s university calendar, stating that there is hardly any two federal universities with the same academic calendar because of the disruptions caused by unions’ strike.
He added that NUC has given vice chancellors a directive to ensure that a semester lasts 17 weeks and not just 16 weeks.