Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu has emphasised the need for Nigeria to adopt the concept of transnational education and ensure stability in the academic calendar.
During an interview with ARISE NEWS on Thursday, Sununu elaborated on the importance of age-appropriate entry into the education system, stating, “the age of entry at primary school level is supposed to be at the age of 6 years, with an expected 12 years of primary and secondary education combined.”
Sununu highlighted concerns regarding the age of admission into tertiary institutions, especially for postgraduate studies.
He noted, “we have received a lot of calls from countries with their age of admission at 18 years, writing for clarification to the ministry and the JAMB.”
He emphasised the collaborative efforts in policy-making involving stakeholders like the National Assembly, vice-chancellors, and the registrar.
“We can come together and look at it critically and then agree on a baseline level so that each and every student aspiring to go for tertiary education will be given an equal level playing field,” he explained.
Sununu stressed the importance of transparency in private institutions regarding religious requirements.
“Universities should make it clear if students must attend specific religious activities,” he stated, citing ongoing court cases due to lack of prior disclosure.
Addressing the issue of access to tertiary education, Sununu acknowledged, “Nigeria is one of the countries that has the largest number of qualified candidates to go for tertiary institution, but we cannot provide space for all candidates.”
To mitigate this, he proposed the concept of transnational education. “We should develop a policy allowing campuses outside Nigeria to establish here or enter into partnerships with Nigerian universities,” Sununu suggested.
He emphasised maintaining the same standards as the parent institutions and the potential for joint certificates and student exchange programmes.
Finally, Sununu underscored the need for stability in the academic calendar as essential for successful international collaborations and exchange programmes.
“If we don’t have that stability, the issue of collaboration in terms of exchange of students becomes very difficult or impossible,” he concluded.
NNEOMA UDENSI
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