Vice Chancellors Call For Fundamental Reforms To Stabilize Higher Education System

Against a backdrop of the Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU) strike,the Association of Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (ACVCNU) has called to take measures against disruptions in the academic calendars of universities.

In a communiqué issued on Tuesday at the end of the 28th Annual Conference of the Association in Abuja, the vice-chancellors noted that the disruptions emanated from student and staff union issues.

ACVCNU stressed the need for broad and well thought out reforms that would make the higher education system in Nigeria more stable in terms of quality, effectiveness and relevance to national values.

It also warned that the proliferation of universities without corresponding increase in funding would pose challenges to the new public universities.

It further acknowledged that universities did not operate under the same circumstances having been established by various entities.

The Association added that inadequate funding by university proprietors was a major cause of decline in quality of education and low global ranking of Nigerian universities.

The associated noted that teaching/learning and research took place in resource-poor contexts, what made it nearly impossible for Nigerian universities to measure up in an increasingly competitive global knowledge economy.

The association said universities,
therefore, needed to seek innovative sources of financing outside the government and private proprietors' funding,such as student loans and scholarships as well as private sector contributions.

Furthermore, it stated that there was a need for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education at all tiers of the Nigerian education system to make room for the development of intellectual capability, creativity, and innovation.

The Association announces it would continue further examination of all these issues at a national education conference, which AVCNU planned to convoke with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) for all stakeholders in education next year.
The Vice Chancellors condoled with the ASUU and the family of Festus Iyayi, who died in an auto crash on November 12.

It also condoled with the family ofYahaya Mahmood,Pro-chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, who died on November 15.