The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali (OON), has said that even though the University has been ranked the best institution of higher learning in Nigeria, it would continue to strive for more excellence until it attains its target of becoming Africa’s number one university.
Prof. Ambali said this last Monday (December 1, 2014) while responding to remarks by the leader of a National Universities Commission (NUC) Team on an accreditation tour of the Faculty of Education, Prof Akon Esu.
The Vice-Chancellor disclosed that the University appreciates being told the truth at all times, as observations on the areas in which the University needs to improve upon, would help the institution to focus on its target.
In July this year, the University of Ilorin recorded a feat with its ranking as the best University in Nigeria by world universities’ ranking agency, the 4 International Colleges and Universities (4ICU). The international higher education search engine, which constantly reviews the performance of accredited universities across the world, also adjudged Unilorin as the 20th best university in Africa and 1842nd in the world.
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The Vice-Chancellor noted that the University would not rest in its quest to ensure that its alumni compete favourably with other graduates from universities around the world and it will therefore take all the observations, which might be raised by the accreditation team, with utmost seriousness.
Prof. Ambali disclosed that the University also wants to make sure that all its staff and students have conducive environment to work and learn, adding that the visit of the accreditation team is appreciated in that regard.
Earlier in her remarks, the Accreditation Team Leader, Prof Akon Esu of the University of Calabar, said that the team had come on a national assignment to see what the University had on ground.
Prof. Esu congratulated the University management for relocating the Faculty of Education to a more befitting new complex. She also expressed delight over the efforts of the University in road maintenance and in the identification cards provided for students. She, however, advised the University to keep working on the transport situation on campus
Introducing the members of the Accreditation Team, the Dean of the Faculty of Education, Prof. A .A. Adegoke, disclosed that the team had come to assess eight of the nine programmes of the Faculty of Education, adding that their duty would also take them to the Department of Library Science at the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the three accreditation teams to the Department of Arts Education and the Department of Science Education and the Department of Social Science Education have commended the University for its standard facilities, equipment and staff strength at the three departments.
The commendations were given at the conclusion of the teams’ assignments last Wednesday (December 3, 2014).
Presenting their reports separately to the Vice-Chancellor, the team leaders praised the University of Ilorin for its excellent performance in terms of the quality of staff, which they said can be seen in the fact that nine of the 12 academic staff members in the Department of Arts Education are PhD holders while the remaining three are on their PhD programmes. Also, over 70 per cent of the academic staff in the Department of Science Education have Ph.D.
They also commended the University on the staff – student ratio, external examiner system, qualification of admitted students, library holdings and internet facilities, saying that the University is ahead of many other Nigerian universities with its introduction of the Computer-based tests (CBT).
The accreditation teams also praised the University for the clean environment and excellent library holdings, which has current journals up to 2014.
While receiving the reports, the Vice-Chancellor, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. N. Y. S. Ijaya, promised that the University would meet all the NUC requirements by attending to all observations raised by the accreditation teams.
He, however, thanked the team members for their sincerity, hard work and service to humanity.
