nuc-header-newThe National Universities Commission (NUC) has given the Plateau State University, Bokkos, till the end of May to secure accreditation for 15 programmes or face sanction.
This was disclosed on Monday by the vice chancellor of the university, Professor Doknan Sheni, at a press conference in Bokkos as part of activities to mark the end of his five-year tenure.
The vice chancellor told newsmen that PLASU had not had any of its programmes accredited by the NUC since the university came into existence 12 years ago.
This, he said, had hindered graduates of the institution from participating in the National Youth Service Corps scheme; but he said the challenge had been solved.
“In this next phase of accreditation of programmes, we need the 15 programmes to be accredited. We have no option because if we fail to meet up this time around, it means all the programmes affected will be suspended and the students won’t graduate,” he said.
He bemoaned inadequacy of lecturers in the institution (which he attributed to funding), and inadequate accommodation for staff and students.
According to him, all the members of staff of the university, including the vice chancellor, live in Jos, the state capital, which is about 60 kilometres from the university.
Another challenge confronting the institution, the vice chancellor noted, is insecurity. He said unauthorised persons had been gaining entrance into the institution’s premises and harming the staff and students.
Professor Sheni also lamented that hoodlums had been harassing female students of the institution.
“Apart from the harassment, there are one or two deaths resulting from such actions. Some of our staff were beaten up by some residents living around the university community. We also have cases of cows grazing on our land.
“We had cause to report most of the cases to the police. Residents living in front of the university must be sent packing,” he said.
Professor Sheni listed other challenges facing the university as poor road network, shortage of potable water and lack of stable electricity.
He, however, disclosed that the university had sponsored 64 lecturers to further their education, including 10 who obtained doctoral degrees from foreign universities and are now teaching in the university.
He spoke of plans by the university to train 17 lecturers annually to acquire PhD degrees, who will in turn lecture in the institution.
The vice chancellor also disclosed that the university had increased its students’ intake from 300 at inception to 1500 this year.
Professor Sheni, whose five-year tenure ends this month, thanked the Plateau State government for finding him worthy to serve the state in that capacity.
He appealed to the next vice chancellor to maintain high academic standard to enable PLASU compete among the 160 universities in Nigeria.
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