NUC works on new curriculum, aims for top 3 in Africa

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has said a new curriculum will be released for universities in the country, which will rate top three in Africa.

The commission also announced the introduction of 17 additional disciplines to the Nigerian university system.

In a bulletin released on Sunday, the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof Abubakar Rasheed, explained that the new curriculum was currently being worked upon by a team of experts and expressed the hope that it would be rated one of the best in the world.

The bulletin stated, “The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof Abubakar Rasheed, has stated that the commission will soon release the new core curriculum minimum academic standards being worked upon by a committee of experts in diverse disciplines aimed at ensuring that the academic programmes of the Nigerian university system become more globally competitive.

“While reviewing the activities of the commission in the past year, Rasheed recalled that following the 2018-2023 repositioning agenda of the NUC, the university system had in the past  five years been undergoing a series of reforms aimed at revitalising it. In achieving the set goals, he said that the commission had continued to stay focused on reforming the system through curriculum reengineering, introduction of new programmes, unbundling of some programmes and undertaking routine accreditation and resource verification visits as well as research and innovation.

“Under the curriculum reengineering project, the commission had conducted a comprehensive review of the entire university curricula, and a draft of the benchmark minimum academic standard was sent to the universities and relevant stakeholders for inputs and comments, which will culminate into a new CCMAS in the system. It is the goal of the commission that by the end of 2022, the new curriculum of the NUS should be rated among the best three in Africa.

“Buttressing further, Prof Rasheed said in a bid to meet the global trend in technology and other emerging areas, the commission had introduced Allied Medical Sciences, Communication Studies and others as additional disciplines in the NUS, making it a total of 17 disciplines in the system.

“Some of the programmes include Artificial and Robotic Engineering, Software Engineering, Cyber Security, Information and Communication Technology, Forensic Science, Agricultural Extension and Community Development, as well as Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering.

“Within the year 2021, the NUC approved and recommended to the Federal Ministry of Education the establishment of 20 additional private universities, making it the largest ever in a single year.”