The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has claimed that the National Universities Commission, NUC, is imposing the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards, CCMAS on Nigerian universities and vowed not to recognize it.
According to ASUU, NUC’s action is contrary to the law guarding operations of universities in the country.
The university lecturers’ organisation, in a statement, Friday, by its president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, particularly described the NUC action as usurpation of the powers of university senate.
In the statement, titled: “Imposition of the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) on Nigerian Universities, ASUU explained that its reaction followed several complaints it received on the threats posed by the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) to quality university education and the erosion of powers of university Senate in Nigerian universities.
It said: “The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has received several complaints on the threats posed by the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) to quality university education and the erosion of powers of university Senate in Nigerian universities.
ASUU cannot turn deaf ears to widespread protests against CCMAS. It is inexplicable that the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) pre-packaged 70% CCMAS contents are being imposed on the Nigerian University System (NUS); leaving university Senates, who are statutorily responsible for academic programme development, to work on only 30%!
“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 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 seventeen academic fields with little or no inputs from the universities.”
According to ASUU,”The academic disciplines covered are: Administration and Management; Agriculture; Allied Health Sciences;Architecture;Arts;Basic Medical Sciences;Computing;Communication and Media Studies;Education;Engineering and Technology; Environmental Sciences; Law,;Medicine and Dentistry; Pharmaceutical Science;Sciences; Social Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine.”
“Expectedly, there are growing concerns about the numerous shortcomings and gross inadequacies of the CCMAS documents. Many University Administrators, though dissatisfied, are shying away from making public comments on CCMAS.
