THE blacklisting of 51 universities described by the National Universities Commission (NUC) as 'illegal' has again thrown up salient questions regarding the state of higher education in the country. One aspect of the problem is the vulnerability of Nigerians to educational exploitation, going by high desire for higher studies, against limited opportunities. Another aspect is the apparent compromise of quality for quantity, in setting up universities. Between these, it is clear that the NUC is yet to get a firm grip on its regulatory and supervisory duties on the universities, despite its warning to the public.It does appear that the battle-line is drawn once again between the commission and the proprietors of unapproved universities located in different parts of the country. It is instructive that the figure given shows an increase from the 44 recorded earlier to 51, despite the NUC's war against such institutions, an indication that the universities are receiving good patronage. It is imperative however, that the universities comply with laid down procedures to operate, in order to avoid chaos in the system.According to NUC's recently published news bulletin, the number of fake universities operating in the country has risen from 44 to 51. It went on to say that eight of the universities have been taken to court, while some are currently under investigation. The executive secretary of the NUC, Professor Julius Okojie, stated that the universities were closed down for lack of minimum academic standards and the violation of universities Act CAP E3, Law of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. The NUC initiated the court proceedings to prosecute proprietors of the universities. It warned that certificate awarded by these institutions would not be recognised for employment or other purposes.Obviously, the universities are exploiting the yawning gap in tertiary education provision in the country, whereby thousands of eligible candidates desirous of going to school cannot get admission from the limited places in the existing universities. Yet, there must be official steps to safeguard the future of the students. Liberalisation of education cannot amount to a licence to flout laws of the land. There is an apparent need to expand the facilities in the 107 universities in the country, to accommodate more prospective students and reduce admission pressure. But it is wrong for any person or group to operate a university without due approval.As the agency empowered to ensure minimum standards in the universities, the NUC should do more to check the mushrooming of unapproved institutions capable of denigrating the education system. Proprietors of such prospective institutions must comply with the rules if they want to contribute to the country's educational development. Another alarming fact is the lack of enough qualified teachers for universities. It is estimated that there are only enough teachers for perhaps a third of the existing universities. Therefore, complying with NUC's approval guidelines is one thing, maintaining high quality is another. Regrettably, quality control is lacking in most of the institutions, including many state owned universities, which are scarcely better than the blacklisted ones.The NUC should step up its job in balancing the pressure for higher education, with quality, particularly in the current situation whereby everybody aspires to obtain university education. Government, through the NUC, must be interested in quality education. There must be adequate measures to ensure that universities are operated the way they should be, to guarantee their products nationally and worldwide. The facilities needed for effective teaching and learning should be provided. These can go a long way to also eliminate unending crisis on the campuses. Government should endeavour to give education the priority attention it deserves, for the nation's collective and corporate good.
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