University of Calabar risks losing accreditation of 4 Courses

By Ene Ene, Calabar

Four courses at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) are likely not to be accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC) as the Commission has published a list of programs that have received full accreditation.

The Nations News Nigeriacited Documents signed by the Acting Director of Accreditation at NUC, Abraham Chundusu, titled “Summary of Results from the October/November 2023 Comprehensive Accreditation Exercise,” indicates that disciplines such as Law, Anatomy, Physics, Forest & Wildlife Management currently hold interim accreditation status.

The National Universities Commission is the agency of the Federal Government in charge of accreditation of courses in Nigerian universities, and the commission is empowered by law to set minimum academic standards for universities and accredit their degree programmes.

The document emphasized how Undergraduate programmes is evaluated for accreditation. It stated that Full Accreditation Status is valid for five years, while Interim Accreditation Status lasts for two years and will be reassessed. If a programme receives Interim Accreditation Status twice in a row, it will be denied Full Accreditation Status.

However, the Faculty of Engineering & Technology at the University of Calabar is excited to announce that they have received full accreditation from the National Universities Commission (NUC).

It was gathered that through a thorough assessment and dedicated efforts, five departments under the faculty have achieved full accreditation, highlighting the university’s dedication to providing high-quality engineering education.

The accredited departments include: Agricultural Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Petroleum Engineering.

Furthermore, the document noted that the implementation of the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) commenced in 2023/2024 academic session with students admitted into 100 level, stressing that the university is expected to ensure compliance in the utilisation of the CCMAS for all programmes.

Efforts to reach the institution’s public relations officer (PRO) to comment on the issue proved abortive as he wasn’t taking his calls or responding to Whatsapp messages at the time of filing this report.