The National Universities Commission (NUC) has cautioned universities to adhere strictly to accreditation standards or face potential revocation of program approval.
This stern warning was from the Acting Executive Secretary of the commission, Mr. Chris Maiyaki, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.
Maiyaki stressed that institutions and programs falling below the minimum academic standards and resource assessment benchmarks would encounter denial of accreditation.
He underscored the significance of compliance, emphasizing the NUC’s commitment to upholding educational quality and standards.
- “If a university is approved and the university wants to mount a programme, they will write to the NUC to come and undertake resource assessment which is the beginning.
- “We will go with our curriculum which is the minimum standards and we put together a team of subject experts and NUC staff and evaluate the capability statement and we look at the quantity and quality of resources available to the institutions.
- “We look at the personnel both in teaching and non-teaching categories, the learning resources available to them, library- both in hard and e-learning configurations.
- “Do they have the teaching aids, classrooms, ICT penetration? we check the learning process from the beginning to the end we issue an outcome statement which is very important,” Maiyaki told NAN.
He mentioned that the outcome statement serves as the foundation for the commission’s communication to JAMB, NYSC, TETFund, and the public.
- “We send to NYSC so that when the students finally are to graduate, there will be nothing like whether they are illegal or not then we give a symbol of authority and that is the major quality assurance measure to be or not to be.
- “When we find you falling short of threshold, you cannot proceed; when the approval matures we then undertake accreditation and accreditation is the major function and core mandate of the NUC,” he told NAN.
The NUC official emphasized that meeting conditions such as maintaining the right quality, fulfilling the philosophy of course content mandate, and other criteria are essential before a definitive accreditation statement is issued.
Maiyaki mentioned that if a consistent non-performance is observed after receiving definite accreditation, denial of accreditation would follow.
In cases where certain thresholds are not met, interim accreditation may be granted. However, repeated instances of interim accreditation over two consecutive years without addressing deficiencies would lead to denial of accreditation.
On the other hand, possessing full accreditation allows the continuation of the program, as stated by the official.
The NUC official revealed the commission’s past actions, suspending licenses and operations of some private and federal universities. This was to allow universities to reassess and rectify deficiencies.
Highlighting the NUC’s role since its inception in 1962, Maiyaki emphasized their authority in setting minimum academic standards, serving as a regulatory, coordinating, and quality assurance agency for university education.
