National Universities Commission to Ensure Full Implementation of New Varsity Curriculum

THE Acting Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Mr Chris Maiyaki, has said that the commission is poised to ensure full implementation of the recently launched Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) by all universities in Nigeria.

Maiyaki stated this when he received the leadership of the Association of Registrars of Nigerian Universities (ARNU), who paid a courtesy visit to the NUC to seek recognition and partnership in the implementation of its programmes.

According to him, registrars are the nexus of university academic and administrative activities, adding that they are also the drivers of policies in the system.

He called on ARNU to, in conjunction with other relevant stakeholders in the system, ensure full implementation of the CCMAS as the document is now a reference document for NUC’s resource verification going forward.

The NUC boss said the CCMAS was painstakingly put together by seasoned professors from each programme as well as professionals and captains of industries, adding that the outcome of the CCMAS was in line with the global best practices, fit-for-purpose and capable of producing graduates that could compete globally.

The Acting Executive Secretary, noted that the visit was coming at a time when the commission is repositioning the Nigerian Universities System (NUS), adding that it has recently launched a new guideline for cross border education to bridge the gap between demand and supply.

“The idea behind the cross border education guideline is to open up our education space for international partnership and collaborations while creating an enabling environment to expand access to university education,” he said.

Maiyaki noted that plans are on ground to re-launch and review the manual for university ceremonies. The manual, he said, will ensure uniformity in the way university ceremonies were conducted.

He said: “We will ensure that as soon as the draft manual is ready, a copy will be sent to your association for your input.

“You should know that we take your role as registrars seriously, as you are the institutional memory of your respective universities,” he stated.

He urged the ARNU leadership to send a communiqué to the commission on the resolutions made by the association during its recently held annual workshop at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Abuja, assuring that the NUC is ready to partner with ARNU for a better university system.

Responding, the ARNU Chairman, Mr Ife Oluwole, stated that the association operates as one unified body, adding that the office of registrars was a position recognised by the law establishing Nigerian universities as the chief administrative officers and ex-officio secretaries to councils; Senates, congregation and convocation and chief advisers to these bodies.

He added that registrars are responsible for all records be it academic and administrative and as pertaining to staff. The registry, under the leadership of the registrars, served as the gateway for students entering and exiting the university. The registrar interfaced with students before, during, and after their studentship.

He said: “We are the gatekeepers and torchbearers of the Nigeria University System(NUS). We are the record keepers and policy executors of the Nigerian universities. Sitting with you in your office today are men and women who are dedicated to seeing systems compete on the global stage”.

Mr Oluwole stated that the manual of university administration published by the NUC some years back spoke much about the pivotal roles of registrars within the NUS.

He, therefore, called on the commission to carry the registrars along in formulating policies as it affected the universities and also when providing training for principal officers of universities, urging that the commission should actively commit to involving registrars as they were critical stakeholders in the university education.

The ARNU chairman called on the leadership of the NUC to consider the re-introduction of institutional accreditation alongside programme accreditation, adding that it would, no doubt, address gaps in the NUS and enhance quality in other spheres of universities.

He noted that ARNU over the years held training for its members so that they could greatly impact the entire system, stating that the association during its business meeting held twice a year normally holds a workshop in April and its retreat in October.

Oluwole extended to the acting executive Secretary an invitation to deliver a keynote address at the second edition of its workshop to be held at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and assured that the ARNU was committed to assisting the commission in achieving its goals.