Exploring Opportunities in Nigeria
Assoc. Prof. Ismail Simbwa Gyagenda, Rector of IUIU, accompanied by Prof. Abdul Kaziba Mpaata, Vice Rector Finance & Administration, Dr. Amal Kinene Nsereko, Director Quality Assurance, Barrister Hamza Sewankambo, University Secretary, Dr. Abdulhafiz Walusimbi, Deputy Dean Faculty of Islamic Studies and Arabic Language, Mr. Imrana Ahmad, Assist. Lecturer, FMS and Mr. Ismail Yusuf, Assistant International Affairs were received by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission of Nigeria (NUC), Prof. Dr. Abubakar Rasheed and his team at the Commission Headquarters in Abuja.
The NUC, a parastatal agency of the Federal Ministry of Education, was created in 1962 and made a Federal Statutory body in 1976, with a mandate to regulate University Education in Nigeria.
IUIU is exploring possibilities of establishing a Teaching Center in Jos, Plateau State, in collaboration with Al Bayan International College.
The two teams discussed ways of enabling IUIU to provide quality education in the Nigerian educational space, within the guidelines of NUC.
Prof. Rasheed welcomed the delegation and pledged NUC's commitment to quality education. He informed the IUIU team that NUC is working with other international Universities from the USA and Canada, who have expressed a desire to enter the vast Nigerian educational market.
IUIU is the first African University to approach NUC for the same purpose.
Prof. Gyagenda, after introducing his strong team, gave a brief history of IUIU as an inter-governmental international University that started humbly at a former secondary school in 1988 with 80 students, but currently has over 10,000 students pursuing their dreams in over 120 programmes in 8 Faculties, at Certificate, Diploma, Bachelors, Masters and PhD levels.
He informed NUC that IUIU has grown over the last 34 years to become a reputable higher education Institution known for its quality programs that are all accredited by Uganda's National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), and its holistic education of building skills and character.
He assured the ES that IUIU has come to NUC "through the front door" to seek Accreditation to provide much needed tertiary education in Nigeria, in collaboration with a willing Nigerian partner, Al Bayan International College of Jos, Plateau State.
Prof. Gyagenda pledged that IUIU will adhere to the guidelines of NUC and other Statutory Agencies at home and in Nigeria.
Both leaders agreed to form Committees headed by their QA heads (IUIU Quality Assurance Director, Dr. Amal Kinene Nsereko and the Director of Academic Planning at NUC, Dr. Noel B. Saliu) to chart a focused way forward.
