The National Universities Commission’s decision to review 70 percent of the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards has been strongly opposed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), raising concerns about the fragile peace in the nation’s university system. In a statement issued on Friday, ASUU expressed its discontent with the reviewed curriculum, describing it as a nightmarish development. The union believes that this curriculum poses a threat to the quality of university education and undermines the authority of the university Senate in Nigerian universities.
Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, the National President of ASUU, expressed astonishment at the NUC’s attempt to impose 70 percent of the CCMAS contents without sufficient input from the university Senates, which are legally responsible for academic program development.
Furthermore, Osodeke highlighted the numerous shortcomings and significant inadequacies present in the CCMAS documents, which have raised growing concerns among stakeholders.
He said, “ASUU is not unaware that setting academic standards and assuring quality in the NUS is within the remit of the NUC. Section 10(1) of the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) Act, Cap E3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
“It enjoins the NUC to lay down the minimum standards for all universities and other degree awarding institutions in the Federation and conduct the accreditation of their degrees and other academic awards.
“However, the process of generating the standard is as important (if not more important) than what is produced as “minimum standards”.
“In this instance, the NUC has recently, through some hazy procedures, churned out CCMAS documents containing 70% curricular contents in 17 academic fields with little or no input from the universities”.
