The National Universities Commission (NUC) has said that the acquisition of Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) is not a sine qua non of the attainment of teaching excellence in the university system.

According to Abubakar Abdurasheed, Executive Secretary of NUC, there is a general consensus that lecturers require regular updating of their pedagogical knowledge and skills in order to facilitate achievement of the anticipated learning outcomes and by extension, the desired over-arching objectives of university education.

Abubakar was speaking in Abuja on Monday at the opening of a five-day transformative higher education pedagogy and practice, organised by the NUC and University of Sussex, London.

He said while pedagogical skill and competences are necessary to ensure continuous improvement in teaching-learning and the attainment of desired learning outcomes, the NUC believes in a systematic approach to pedagogical training on the basis of regular professional development, which will not elicit resistance from or offend the sensibilities of members of the academia, should be pursed.

“There is a lack of consensus on the pathway for achieving the desirable outcome of enhanced pedagogical skills among the academia,” said Abubakar, who was represented by Rahman Yusuf, Director of Research, Innovation and Technology, at NUC.

“On one hand are those who canvass the position that all academic staff need to acquire a PGDE before they could be considered to be qualified and effective professors or lecturers. On the other hand are those — including many university academics — who strongly believe that the PGDE is not the way to go.

“On our part at the National Universities Commission, we believe that the acquisition of a PGDE is not a sine qua non of the attainment of teaching excellence in the Nigerian University system.”

He disclosed that NUC has opted for a modular approach to the pedagogical training of academic staff, which may lead to some sort of certification such as a certificate of competence, after series of well-designed and delivered pedagogical training modules and will facilitate the achievement of the ultimate objective of improving the knowledge, competence and skills of professors and lecturers of Nigerian university system.

This, he added, would not cause undue agitation among members of the academic community, many of whom he noted have expressed their abhorrence for any attempt to foist a mandatory acquisition of the PGDE on them.