Courtesy Visit to NUC on 25th February, 2025.
The Executive Secretary of NERDC - Prof. Salisu Shehu during the visit to NUC on Tuesday, 25th February, 2025.
NERDC SEEKS NUC's COLLABORATION IN HARNESSING EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH WORKS
The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) - Prof. Salisu Shehu, has sought the collaboration of National Universities Commission (NUC) in harnessing and harmonizing educational research works in Nigeria.
Speaking during his visit to the Executive Secretary of NUC in Abuja on Tuesday, 25th February, 2025, Prof. Shehu disclosed that his mission for the visit was to show solidarity, as well as seek ways of working together and informed that through such collaboration, both organizations have a lot to do and collaborate especially in terms of Research for the development of the nation.
The Executive Secretary stressed that NERDC's mandates do not only include to encourage, promote and coordinate educational research programmes carried out in Nigeria, but also, "identify educational problems in Nigeria in which research is needed and then, establish the order of priority therefrom".
According to him, "by our mandate, NERDC is supposed to serve as a repository of groundbreaking research in education. Such researches are supposed to inform public policies in the education sector through NERDC as the think tank of the Nigeria education. But this mandate has not been fully activated and critical findings from the faculties of education in our ivory towers are not reckoned with in the process of policy formulation in the education sector.
“I believe that, through an effective collaboration, we can harness the efforts of universities in educational research to improve our educational system. NERDC would want to see how we can work with your Commission to get this operational”, he said.
The Executive Secretary, while intimating that NERDC is the only agency of the Federal Ministry of Education whose mandates and scope of service cut across all levels of the education sector, equally mentioned other possible areas of collaboration to include, Curriculum Development. He therefore advocated for the creation of a platform that will enable NERDC to constantly engage with deans of faculties of education and the curriculum planners of education courses that will help expose the would-be teachers in our faculties of education in the areas of curriculum framework, structures, philosophy and implementation strategies.
Prof. Shehu also informed the NUC Scribe that the Council had developed 34 trades and entrepreneurship curriculum to empower senior secondary education students with requisite skills for job creation and wealth generation. He equally spoke of the need for NERDC and NUC to interface in the area of teacher education programme as it relates to the production of teachers for the implementation of the trade and entrepreneurship curriculum.
He lamented that “in-spite of the implementation of the curriculum which began in 2011, we are still faced with the challenge of lack of qualified teachers in some of the trade areas; that we need the universities to fill this gap for the good of the nation. He added that the Council engages Professors as significant resource persons in our curriculum development, and hence, NUC can plan very strategic roles in this regard”, Prof. Shehu pointed out.
The NERDC ES also informed his NUC counterpart that the Council had developed the National Language Policy which was aimed at preserving, promoting and effectively utilising the Nigerian languages for economic growth and national development. This, he said, would require the collaboration of both organizations so as to ensure that those provisions itemized cab be activated to achieve the policy purposes.
Responding, the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu noted that both organizations have a lot to do and collaborate especially in terms of Research for the development of the nation.
According to Prof. Ribadu, “NUC, NERDC, TETFUND and NRF need to collaborate in the areas of research, share resources, harness ideas together for efficiency in research delivery in order to avoid duplicity of works and waste of scarce resources”.
He commended NERDC for its prominent role in the Language development and preservation of Nigerian indigenous language which has saved those languages from going into extinction.
The NUC boss, while informing that he had taken note of all concerns raised, implored NERDC Executive Secretary to rest assured as NUC is ready to offer its maximum collaboration in the needed areas of partnership.
The visit had management teams from both NERDC and NUC in attendance.
Executive Secretary, NERDC - Prof. Salisu Shehu (l) briefing the Executive Secretary, NUC - Prof. Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu during Council's visit to NUC on Tuesday, 25th February, 2025.
Cross-section of NERDC and NUC management teams during the former's visit Tuesday, 25th February, 2025.
(l-r) Executive Secretary of NERDC - Prof. Salisu Shehu with Executive Secretary of NUC - Prof. Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu posing for a photograph during the visit on Tuesday, 25th February, 2025.
Cross-section of NERDC management during Council's visit to NUC on Tuesday, 25th February, 2025.
The Executive Secretary, NERDC - Prof. Salisu Shehu and Executive Secretary, NUC - Prof. Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu in a group photograph with members of NERDC and NUC management teams during the visit to NUC on Tuesday, 25th February, 2025.
