New c’ttee probes polytechnics, COEs

Inaugurating the Needs Assessment Committee, supervising education minister Nyesom Wike, directed the committee to submit its report and recommendations in four months.Outlining the committee’s terms of reference, Wike said it will inventory and appraise existing physical facilities and resources for teaching and learning, “with particular reference to their adequacy, quality and relevance.”It will also examine […]

Inaugurating the Needs Assessment Committee, supervising education minister Nyesom Wike, directed the committee to submit its report and recommendations in four months.
Outlining the committee’s terms of reference, Wike said it will inventory and appraise existing physical facilities and resources for teaching and learning, “with particular reference to their adequacy, quality and relevance.”
It will also examine the quality of academic programmes, audit academic and non-academic staff and students, assess student accommodation and determine gaps for possible upgrade.
A previous needs-assessment-committee which investigated universities February 21 last year found “palpable state of decay and rot disturbing” universities across the country, Wike admitted.
But a separate committee to oversee the implementation of recommendations has only begun work more than a year after the committee finished its work.
Wike also noted government was worried about incessant strikes by unions in academia. The latest strike by lecturers over failed agreements from 2009 is 119 days old today.
Speaking at the inauguration of governing councils for parastate agencies-including the National Universities Commission, federal universities and polytechnics, he said federal government was “concerned about frequent industrial actions by the five unions [in universities] and the adverse consequences of their actions on teaching, learning, research and academic calendar.”