From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The National Universities Commission (NUC), has announced that Prof. Peter Okebukola will head the crack team that would carry out comprehensive review of the of the university curricula otherwise known as Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) later this year.
The BMAS review, according to NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Rasheed Abubakar, became necessary following wide criticism and insinuations that Nigerian university graduates were unemployable.
He said the exercise would address the spurious claims and insinuations about the academic standard and quality of Nigeria’s universities.
The NUC boss who disclosed the information in Abuja assured all stakeholders that the exercise would be done in line with global best practices, with emphasis on the selection of performance indicators that would take cognisance of the Nigerian context and its peculiarities as well as the need for its universities to be globally respected.
The apex universities regulatory body urged Nigerian public to quit unnecessary criticism of Nigerian universities, but collectively support NUC in its drive to ensure that Nigerian universities maintained minimum academic standard as specified by NUC.
Okebukola, an ex NUC Executive Secretary told Daily Sun that the exercise would focus on issues that would equip a 21st century university graduate with requisite knowledge to solve problems and create jobs and not rely on government for unavailable jobs.