[Opinion] Part-Time Programmes In Nigerian Universities And The NUC Ban

National University Commission(NUC) recently clamped down a moratorium on admission of students into Part-Time(PT) programmes. Flurry of reactions as usual, has come from people some condemning and some praising the move. If you have come accross a PT school you will dance to the NUC tune if you really want education in Nigeria to move forward.
We cannot continue to sacrifice capability or accountability on the altar of sympathy if we must take our educational sector to the next level.

The proliferation of PT campuses is a worrisome one indeed. Imagine a student going through a school without knowing the location of his main campus! This is just a start. Admission is not checked as the management are only after population in other to make fast money. What about performance of graduates from such mushroom schools? Many oft them don’t honour lecture and only show in examination period a flagrant violation of attendant rules which says at least 75% attendance.

When LASU was into PT the number of students that was into LASU PT was eight times greater than that of the regular students(where are they going to work?)
The NUC stance is a good one and must be commended. PT campuses are not up to standard. Lecturers in some cases are not qualified. Truth telling is anathema in the Nigerian public discourse. We must learn to condemn what is not measuring up to standard.
This is no way trying to condemn the Education For All(EFA) goal but to call for standard so that Nigerian graduates can compete with their foreign counterparts. Professor Okogie is taking the right dimension.

12 COMMENTS

  1. I realy tnk u all 4 dat idea of banning PT( part time) programme, because really most of Them dnt go for class in order to recieve Lecture but During Exam u will find out dat the population dat cm for Jst for d exam will b *4 of those who attend Lecture and nt Only Dat, Another Topic is Dat most of Dem dat claims they hv money uses dat medium to corrupt some Full Time (FT) student most Especially The “GIRLS” some of those PT student comes to school to come and spend money for the young Girls . Most of their base where they spend is mostly RESTURANTS, BARS,and HOTELS when u go any of these place u will found dat those girls wt dem will b a Full Time Student and will be at an Age of Either 18 – 20 yrs old While those men will be at an Age of Married men Of 30 – 35 yrs. Old.
    THE big question is, after This BAN how will the nxt Educational quality will Nigeria Give out?. Plz Really PT programme is Somehow corruptive to the society thanks and that is my opinion as a Nigerian In Nigeria

  2. i grt u all 9t people, d reaction dat take d action of baning pt is not dat too good,many people are forcstraded abt it. D normal thing 2 do is 2 find a way 2 correct d mistake but d mistake has been made all hands mst be on deck let correct nd lift the supesion fast i luv all Nigerian’s

  3. Every organisations in Nigeria is to frustrated life of Ordinary Nigerians. How on earth would a groups of people woke up in a morning to destroyed the lives of more Dan five million people. My brother is in 400levels. I have spent almost 700:000naira to support him. Now…….. He sud stay hopelessly at home while all my efforts in him would be jeopardise because of some groups of people called themselves NUC. Huh! I saves my typing.

  4. Let’s go memory lane. In the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s OL GCE, AL GCE and even London, Cambridge degree programs were all part time, long distance affairs and our great Dr/Prof Chike – Obi and many FG super permanent secretaries were products of this scheme! The problem is not with the part time program but the Nigerian Judiciary that has failed to punish criminals and law breakers. If the JUDICIARY can sentence law breakers to 5-25yrs jail terms and 10X fine for fraud Nigeria will begin to work.

  5. There is nothing wrong in running PT programmes;where the problem lies is the management of the PT continuing Education Centre.PT programme provides opportunities for those serious minded people who like to attend FT programmes but there is no one there to sponsor them or those adults who are illiterate or semi-illiterate but have passion for education-This PT programme may serve as an opportunities for them to be educated.

    The following suggested solutions may help NUC to curb problems facing in the PT programmes:
    1) Age limit-NUC should set up an age limit for every prospect applicant to PT programme.e.g 25 years old and above .
    2) Admission Limit: There should be a limit to the number of applicants to the PT programme -Preferably 1,200 per session.
    3) To attain (2) above,every PT applicant must sit for admission examination with cut-off mark.e.g 50% and above .
    4) Admission should be given on merit and not on whom you know.
    5) The staff of the PT programmes should be warned against demanding or collecting bribes from the students in order to help them secure a fake admission-Any one caught in this habit should be thoroughfully dealt with.
    6) Proper monitoring of lecturers’ attendance to lecture students would also help.
    7) Corruption among course handlers must be checked by the management through management sound of warning to lecturers against collecting or demanding for financial or otherwise help from their students.
    8) Examination:During examinations, students should be thoroughfully checked before entering the examination hall and any student caught in the habit of cheating should be worked out of the examination hall by the invigilators.
    9) Results : Management should try as much as possible towards ensuring that the students’ results came out on time..
    10)The list of the examination malpractice students should be pasted before the next examination will be taken and those involved should be called upon to Senate investigative panel.
    11) NUC should also have a monitoring team in charge of PT programmes in all universities during it to ensure compliance to the laid down standard and also sanction the erring ones.

    The above suggestions are also applicable to FT programmes where some graduates of Accounting can neither define a balance sheet nor a ledger.

    Please NUC save our country from continuing falling of our educational sector.

    Thank you.

  6. I give a big kudos to NUC. But I will urge NUC to take a look into the opinion of joseph and ayoade. To me, Part Time programme is the right way to attain the goals of Education For All (EFA). A person who attends Full Time programme is not competent enough let alone of PT. NUC, ride on.

  7. One problem about Nigeria is that those who are at the top do not want the poor to rise. This type of thing can only happen in Nigeria where the rich and the influential care less about the progress of their citizen. It is Part-time education that brought people like Obafemi Awolowo and others to lime light. Suppose there was no part time Education at their time they could have perish with their knowledge and history would not have a place for them. I have never seen any country with this type of policy in the whole wide world. I see Nigeria as the worst nation in the next 10 years if the policy is allow to stay. God bless Nigeria And give our leaders the wisdom to lead this country aright Amen

  8. Before eulogizing the NUC, I want to ask the leadership to give me the names of 5 countries where part time or distance learning is forbidden, someone can not just wake up one day because he wants to make name and make unwell thoughtful announcement. I agree with the fact that reorganization could be injected into the system such that is required in other facet of this Honorable country.If part time or distance learning programs is to be declared cancelled, PHCN must be declared obituary due to epileptic discharge,house of assemblies must be declared unwanted due to corruption,l want Nigerians to know that it is not a wise decision to wake up and declare cancellation,a mad man can do likewise,it is the duty of a competent leader to sit down and provide solution to any problem every problem on ground,if the NUC chairman can not reform part time programs,let him leave it the way he met it or resign his appointment for lack of competency and If there is any hidden agenda to promote open university,he should stop the game.

  9. Pls and pls PT studies should not be scrap instead it should take a better and new dimension. Many Nigeria want to go to school especially me. My job would not allow me and i cannot leave the job for school cos i will lack sponsor. Pls and pls somebody help me. O8034204331 Akusuk Peter.