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NUC scores state varsities above average
A VERDICT smacking of criticism and commendation was passed in the 26 state government owned universities in the country as the National Universities Commission (NUC), assessed their performance yesterday.
In his weekly memorandum released to reporters in Abuja, the Commission's Executive Secretary, Prof. Peter Okebukola, said the basis for the assessment was the 2005 University System Annual Review Meetings (USARM) conducted in November last year by the NUC, where the vice-chancellors and students gave their candid opinions on the state of the universities.
The report according to him, indicated that over 60 per cent of students who graduated from the universities in 2005 were surveyed in a recent NUC national study. He said the quality and quantity of the research activities were adjudged to be fair, while the performance in community service was rated good. On the overall, however, he said the state universities performed below federal universities.
Okebukola, a former university acting vice-chancellor, identified some problems militating against the growth and development of the state universities. These according to him, include inadequate funding by the state governments, over-enrolment, unapproved courses, preponderance of junior and inexperienced staff and inadequate facilities for teaching and research.
On funding, the NUC boss said over 30 per cent of state-owned universities were starved of funds by their proprietors, adding that, grants for payment of staff salaries were acutely short in some cases, compelling the authorities to augment through revenue sources that were unhealthy for the academic life of the institutions. According to him, such practices as excessive enrolment, running of sandwich and part-time programmes as mere diploma mills to make money were common.
"The assertion that state universities are the most overcrowded in the Nigerian university system owing to lack of funding by some state governments is yet to be refuted. The poor quality of graduates as a consequence of overcrowding remains worrisome."
According to him, in 2005, all the state universities had a total proprietor grant of about N35 billion. This compares unfavourably with N50 billion received by the 29 federal universities within the same period He added: "Some of the state universities reported that in 2005, they encountered financial difficulties by direct payment of staff salaries through ministries of education, awards of contracts for the universities from the governors' office and minimal release of capital grants. In some cases, no capital was released in spite of budgetary allocation for capital projects."
On the over-enrolment, the NUC boss said the situation had led to over-crowded classes, a feature of over 72 per cent of the state universities in 2005. For example, the total enrolment in Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) and Lagos State University (LASU) were more than the combined enrolment of the first generation universities of Ibadan, Ife, Lagos and Nsukka.
"The good news is that, towards the end of 2005, the Senates of OOU and LASU responded to the challenge of right-sizing enrolment and have embarked on a crusade to sanitise their academic environments. We are, however, hopeful that other universities will respond as rapidly to avoid NUC sanctions on over-enrolment."
According to him, all the state universities were bottom-heavy in terms of the rank of academic staff, adding that, over 70 per cent of the universities have half of their academic staff in the lecturer one category or lower.
In addition, he said NUC monitoring reports had shown that in some departments, the heads would turn out to be lecturers on grade two, and a handful of assistant lecturers and graduate assistants make up the complement, noting that, the quality assurance hammer of the commission was being applied on such departments.
He said when compared with federal universities, facilities in the state universities were poorer and severely over stretched and ill-maintained. In 2005, he said, some efforts were seen in a few of these universities to put up new structures, refurbish dilapidated buildings and give the universities new look, citing Benue State University, Makurdi; Olabisi Onabanjo, Ago-Iwoye, LASU and Nasarawa State University as some of the institutions where noticeable improvement were recorded.
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