A Professor of Educational Management at the Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti, Ebenezer Adu, has urged the National Universities Commission (NUC) and other regulatory agencies to intensify efforts in curbing overcrowding in universities.
Prof. Adu, who delivered the institution’s second inaugural lecture in Ikere-Ekiti, titled: ‘Fixing the Engine, Not Just the Destination: Aligning Internal Efficiency with the Goals of Effective Schools’, said universities have continued to sacrifice quality for revenue by admitting students far beyond their capacity.
He described the trend as dangerous, stressing that overstretched facilities, high teacher-student ratios and poor instructional delivery have led to the production of ill-equipped graduates.
‘Some institutions admit large numbers of students to boost revenue. This leads to high teacher-pupil ratios and low quality of output,’ Adu said.
He called on the Ministry of Education (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NABTEC) and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) to strengthen monitoring and ensure universities and other tertiary institutions comply with approved admission quotas.
He said: ‘Regular inspection and supervision of instruction by the regulatory body should always be undertaken to improve the quality of instruction and reduce wastage.
‘Some of the high institutions look for the means of increasing internally generated revenue; they admit large number of students, which lead to high teacher-pupil ratio. At the end, there is low quality of output.