NUC tells professional bodies to desist from unhealthy competition

The National Universities Commission, NUC, has charged professional bodies to desist from unhealthy competition with the commission over the training of undergraduate students in universities.

Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof Abubakar Rasheed, stated this recently, during the visit of the President of the Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria, ICCON, the commission.

The ICCON team was in NUC to seek collaboration with the commission to rejuvenate the teaching of Chemistry in Nigerian Universities.

According to Rasheed, it was the responsibility of the NUC to: lay down Minimum Academic Standards, MAS,  for all academic programmes in the NUS; give approval for the establishment of new academic programme as well as ensure that quality was maintained in terms of teaching, human and material resources of the programmes through accreditation.

He disclosed that the commission has continued to open its door to professional bodies for collaboration in line with its mandate of leading the way of ensuring quality university system that works for Nigerians. 

“We don’t train Chemists, we train graduates of Chemistry. I will advise that you latch unto these graduates, certify them and maybe provide some forms of additional training before you certify them. We are more than willing to collaborate with you; we would be willing to call meetings of Heads of Departments (H.O.D) of Chemistry in our Universities, very senior Professors who have made their mark in the profession, and captains of industries together so that we all can chart a way forward for the programme and the profession,” he said.  

Rasheed stated that there was need for the decentralisation of Chemistry at the university level and called on the Institute to suggest ways of improving the curriculum of the programme.

According to him, “at the university, we don’t teach the same general chemistry across programmes like Medicine and Sciences, therefore, for us to truly engender the change we desire, there is need to decentralise the profession to ensure professionalism.

I assure you that the commission would continue to work with you to achieve the Nigerian university of our dream,” he stressed.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Council, ICCON, Prof. Fanna Inna Abdulrahman, stated that the Institute was a regulatory agency under the Federal Ministry of Health, established by ICCON Act CAP. I.12 LFN 2004 charged with the primary responsibility to regulate the teaching of Chemistry and the practice of the Chemistry profession in Nigeria.

She added that the timely visit to the commission was to seek possible areas of collaboration and support in order to strengthen the teaching of Chemistry at the university level in the country.

The ICCON President noted that the Institute had taken cognizance of the fundamental and statutory mandate of the NUC and that it was the premise upon which the body seeks to advance and explore ways by which the subject of Chemistry can be fully professionalized abi nitio either at the pre-degree, undergraduate and post-graduate levels of studies.