By Ngozi Nwankwo
AG. Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, NUC, Dr. Chris Maiyaki has said the Commission will not approve and Distance Learning Centre that falls below global standard practices.
Maiyaki disclosed this at a media parley with members of the Education Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria, ECAN, in Abuja on Thursday.
He said the Commission has successfully processed applications as well as monitored the process that led to the establishment of additional five Distance Learning Centres,DLC, making a total of twenty-five Distance Learning Centres of Dual Mode in Nigeria.
Maiyaki also said after launching of the Transnational Education,TNE,Guideline, the Commission facilitated the establishment of the first set of Private Open Universities in Nigeria.
He said the establishment of more Distance Learning Centres, private Open Universities, public and private Universities in Nigeria was necessitated to bridge gap.
Assuring the commitment of NUC to orderly development of Universities in Nigeria, Mayaki said Nigeria currently has 270 Universities with an additional two coming on board next week, adding this would increase access to education for Nigerians.
He said the Federal Government in an effort to guarantee more access, achieve balance and equity, had through the Federal Executive Council,FEC, in October 2023, approved the conversion of two out of the four Colleges of Education enlisted into full-fledged Universities of Education, namely: Adeyemi Federal University of Education, Ondo, Ondo State, and Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri, Imo State.
The NUC boss explained that each year, close to 2 million Candidates apply for admission into Nigerian Universities but only between 500,000 to 700,000 candidates get admission, a development which causes pain for the families of candidates, the candidates themselves, and the University leaders.
“Nigeria will continue to widen university access by approving more universities to meet its demands and supply of quality education.
“We have no choice but to as a matter of deliberate policy, undertake the massification of universities,” he said.
Maiyaki said to Improve access to Universities and to meet the competing needs of candidates, Nigeria has approved the Transnational Education,TNE, Guidelines which gives foreign countries opportunities to establish high standard Universities in Nigeria.
“This TNE system will make our graduates globally competitive. it is on the tripods of teaching, learning, and research.
“It will stem the tide of Nigerians going out to seek foreign University education,” he said.
He said the commission has also developed a Unit cost analysis of what it will take to train a student in Nigerian tertiary institutions, as part of ensuring the successful implementation of the student loan scheme, which will be launched next week.
Speaking on the allegation that a Nigeria University was urging students to pay school fees in US dollars, Maiyaki dismissed the claims, saying that no Nigerian university charges tuition in dollars.
“It was only Foreign students that were being charged in foreign currency and it is global practice for foreign scholars to pay fees in foreign currencies,” he said.
Maiyaki, therefore, expressed hope that there would be greater level of partnership with media to ensure continuous, objective and professional reportage of NUC’s activities and the Nigerian University System in general.
Responding, the Chairman of ECAN, Mr. Chuks Ukwuatu said the recognition was based on key performance indicators set by the association which saw NUC come top.