NUC verifies DOU’s readiness for postgraduate programmes

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has commenced resource verification at Dennis Osadebay University (DOU), Asaba, ahead of the proposed commencement of postgraduate programmes at the institution.

The exercise is aimed at assessing the adequacy of the university’s academic manpower, infrastructure, teaching and research facilities, library resources and other requirements for postgraduate education.

Receiving the NUC delegation on Tuesday, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Samuel Aghalino, said the exercise provided an opportunity for the institution to assess its readiness and strengthen areas requiring further attention.

Aghalino assured the team of the university’s full cooperation, stressing that the management was committed to meeting the standards required for the successful take-off of the programmes.

Speaking on behalf of the NUC team leads, Prof. Haruna Lawal said the exercise was not simply an inspection but a constructive assessment aimed at identifying the university’s strengths and areas requiring improvement.

He said the team would scrutinise academic staffing, physical facilities, laboratories, classrooms, library resources, research infrastructure, documentation and other requirements for effective postgraduate teaching and supervision.

The team inspected facilities across the university, including lecture halls, laboratories, academic staff offices, library facilities, electronic databases and other infrastructure relevant to teaching, research and postgraduate supervision.

It also reviewed the university’s academic and support staff strength, as well as relevant institutional documents.

At the end of the exercise, the various team leads presented their preliminary observations to the university management.

While commending DOU for the facilities already provided, particularly academic staff office accommodation, the NUC team identified areas requiring improvement, including infrastructure, manpower, library resources, research facilities and documentation.

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The programmes assessed included Chemistry, Economics, Agricultural Economics and Extension, Geology and International Relations, among others.

Responding, Aghalino thanked the NUC delegation for what he described as a professional and constructive assessment, assuring that the management would address the gaps identified during the exercise.

He said the university had commenced the construction of additional facilities, including lecture halls, while efforts were also being made to improve office accommodation for academic staff.

The Vice-Chancellor said DOU had invested substantially in electronic library resources but acknowledged the need to strengthen its collection of physical books to complement the digital resources.

“We are not afraid of challenges. We are here to tackle them headlong,” Aghalino said, reaffirming the management’s commitment to building a postgraduate system that meets national and international standards.

The NUC team commended the university for its openness and cooperation, while the management pledged to sustain efforts to provide the infrastructure, manpower and academic resources required for the successful take-off of quality postgraduate programmes.