The House of Representatives has summoned key officials, including the Acting Executive Secretary of the National University Commission (NUC), the Director General and Council of Legal Education, regarding the discontinuation of the law program at the National Open University Commission (NOUN).
Additionally, individuals such as heads from the Nigeria Law School, the Chairman of the Board of Benchers, and the Vice Chancellor of NOUN have been called to appear. This decision stemmed from a meeting between Prof. Olufemi Peters, the Vice Chancellor of NOUN, aggrieved final-year law students, and Rep. Abubakar Fulata, the Chairman of the House Committee on University Education, in Abuja on Thursday.
NOUN purportedly halted the program, citing the university senate’s compliance with the Council of Legal Education’s directive.
Fulata emphasized the urgency for the Minister of Education and leaders of pertinent agencies to collaborate in addressing the dire challenges affecting education standards in Nigeria. Issues such as strikes, insecurity, inadequate funding, and deficient infrastructure require concerted efforts from stakeholders, including the National Assembly (NASS).
He stressed the necessity of exploring novel, efficient strategies and reinforcing existing ones to tackle these issues. This comprehensive approach involves devising new methods while allocating sufficient resources for infrastructure maintenance, ultimately enhancing both basic and tertiary education sectors.
Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, highlighted the multifaceted challenges confronting education in the country. He identified issues such as a learning crisis, a considerable number of out-of-school children, and the peril of graduates lacking essential skills for employability, contributing to the nation’s security risks.
Mamman pointed out that academic success often stems from individual qualities rather than systemic support. He also noted the inadequacy of equipment in polytechnics, crucial institutions meant to provide necessary skills for graduates.
