The National Universities Commission (NUC) has said less than 10 percent of the two million students in Nigerian universities are enrolled in private universities.
According to the commission, there are 149 private varsities in the country.
The Acting Executive Secretary, NUC, Chris Maiyaki, made this known at the British Council Workshop on Enhancing Curriculum and Pedagogical Approaches in Nigerian Universities in Abuja.
He said: “If you look at the population bracket of Nigeria, Nigeria is the only country that is highly undersubscribed, with 200 million people, and we only have today 272 universities: 61 are federal – public funded, 63 are owned by state governments, and 149 are owned by private individuals.
“There are over two million students in Nigerian universities and only 10 per cent of the two million are in private universities.”
The NUC boss emphasised the need for continuous curriculum reform to enable them to adapt in a fast-changing world.
Maiyaki noted that initiating such reforms comes with challenges, adding that sometimes curriculum renewal was hampered due to challenges of implementation.
He said: “It is gratifying to note that this workshop is coming on the heels of the implementation of the recently-developed Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards in line with the commission’s enabling laws.”
Continuous curriculum reform has been considered a necessary measure to assist schools respond to a fast-changing world.
Initiating such reforms is not without challenges, as sometimes, the actualisation of the curriculum renewal is not fully realised due to the challenges of implementation.
Director of Programmes, British Council, Chikodi Onyemerela said there was a need to change from a traditional approach of teaching and learning to digital literacy in solving problems.
Onyemerela said: “NUC has since introduced the CCMAS which emphasises the cultivation of critical thinking, digital literacy, problem solving, and entrepreneurial skills among graduates, and this is imperative for our educational institutions to adopt accordingly.
“We must acknowledge the hurdles that lie ahead of the traditional approach to teaching and learning, which has long been entrenched in our university system and not easily overturned. To change this, it will require concerted efforts from each of us to challenge the status quo.”
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
