On this page:

The history of the Academic Planning Unit in Nigerian universities dates back to the early 1980s when the Unit was established to coordinate academic activities and programmes in the Nigerian universities and thus streamline uncoordinated growth and development, as well as unnecessary duplication of courses by various teaching units.

It was also expected that the Unit will collect and manage data to guide the academic development of universities to ensure compliance with NUC’s Minimum Academic Standards and the university Senate’s academic requirements. The Academic Planning Unit of the University of Lagos, currently headed by a Professor of Computational Mathematics as Director, has been discharging its role and obligations in line with NUC guidelines over the years. The Director of Academic Planning is directly responsible to the Vice-Chancellor for the day-to-day administration of the Unit.

In line with the Vision and Mission of the university, the philosophy of the Academic Planning Unit is to enhance efficiency in teaching, learning and research in the university and to ensure the generation, dissemination and publication of qualitative ideas, information and knowledge. This is with the ultimate objective of:

(i) ensuring the provision of a conducive teaching, learning and research and development environment for staff and students;

(ii) ensuring efficient and effective utilization of academic resources;

(iii) ensuring the compliance of the University with the National Universities Commission (NUC) Guidelines on academic matters; and

(iv) enhancing the conformity of the University with international academic standards.

The Centre formerly run as a service end to the defunct Continuing Education Centre since inception in 1976. It was opened for use in January 1977, when some of the participants in the Festival of Black Arts and Culture (FESTAC ’77) were to be accommodated here.

The Senate constituted the Conference Centre Guest Houses Management Board in December 1976, as an income-generating unit. The Management Board was headed by the Vice-Chancellor nominee. The first Management Board operated till 17 th December, 1979 when a new Board was appointed with Prof. J.O. Akinosi as Chairman. On August 12 1984, the Vice-Chancellor appointed Prof. H. A. Mosadomi to succeed Prof. J.O. Akinosi

as Chairman of the Board. Thereafter, the headship was passed on to Prof. J. O. Adenubi, Prof. O. A. Ashiru, Prof. G.O.A. Sowemimo, Prof. S. Tomori and Prof. J. A. Bello, Prof. K. Kusemiju and Prof. U. Edebiri respectively at various periods.

Introduction

Within the framework of the University Mission Statement, and the requirements identified by the University Strategic Plan (2005-2009) the Staff Training and Development Centre is committed to providing in the 2006-2007 an environment in which members of staff:

We provide the following support services and coordinate campus staff training/ educational information technological programmes.

Our Induction sessions start at the beginning of academic year in September, whilst skills training and opportunities initiatives take place between January and July.

Staffs who wish to attend any of these workshops should please complete the booking form accompanying the information sheets (available at the STDU office), pass to their Heads of Departments for authorization and then return it to the Staff Training and Development Centre.

The provisional Council of the University of Lagos made a request to the Federal Ministry of Education in 1966 to start a primary school for the children of staff of the University. Additional advantages to be derived were that:

The school would serve as a practice school for the College of Education (A successor to the Federal Advanced Teacher’s College)

The school would help to improve the output of the Staff of University who would have had to leave to collect their children from various schools.

The Staff School started operating on the 10 th October 1966, on the University Campus at Akoka. It was housed within temporary wooden building consisting of 9 classrooms, a small assembly hall, and an office for the headmistress. It enrolled 1.56 pupils including about 30, who were children of non-members of Staff of the University.

The School grew rapidly in population from 156 in 1966 to about 1,000 in 1971. At its tenth anniversary in 1976 there were 1,100 pupils with 40 teaching staff. The buildings comprised a duplex block of classrooms and 2 wooden blocks of classrooms. Another block of classroom with a science room, a music room and Art room were added in 1978. In 1981/82 session pupils were 1,391 with 39 teachers who taught all the primary school subjects.

The early 1980s witnessed an unprecedented growth in a number of applications for admissions to the Staff School. This was due partly to the growing awareness of parents to the importance of a good primary school education. Staff of the University of Lagos who had up till that time left their children in other schools for various reasons, enrolled their children into the school. Meanwhile parents who were staff of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos Teaching Hospital (LUTH) already formed a significant fraction of those whose children were attending school at Akoka. These parents were losing a great deal of their time in either conveying their children to and from the school or worrying about their transportation.

Therefore siting of an extension of the school at Idi-Araba became inevitable. The extension began in October 1983 in the Great Hall, which was partitioned and provided by the authorities of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. The Staff School Extension at Idi-Araba had since reached class six.

Presently the Staff School Akoka has a total of 1,081 children on roll and Idi-Araba Staff School extension has 331 on roll. Altogether, the University of Lagos Staff School on the two campuses has enrolled 1,412 with 57 teachers (Fifty seven teachers).

1 . From available records, the Unilag Community Pharmacy was established in 0ctober, 1990 to complement the pharmaceutical services offered at the Health Centre; with a view to protect the members of the University Community from the unfortunate incident of fake and substandard products, and exorbitant prices which has bedeviled the pharmaceutical and general market. Along the line, the pharmacy is expected to yield some financial gain to the University as is the case currently.

OUR MISSION

3. OUR VISION

One of the objectives of the University of Lagos when it was established in 1962 was to train professionals for the manpower needs of the country. In fulfilling this objective, it was required to provide facilities for part-time studies in such fields as Law, Business Administration and Accounting as well as Education through correspondence and distance teaching techniques. It was for this purpose, among others, that the Correspondence and Open Studies Institute (COSIT) renamed Distance Learning Institute, DLI, since December 1997 was established during the 1973/74 session as a Unit of the Continuing Education Centre (CEC). It became autonomous in 1980 and was upgraded as an Institute in 1983 with its own Management Board empowered to formulate policies and supervise its day-to-day affairs.

In 1997, Senate reaffirmed the autonomous status of the Institute following a reorganization exercise in the University. The Institute is being restructured such that, the frequency of study centre meetings for example, would be reduced essentially to tutorials and assignments at interactive centres, providing opportunities for students’ informal group study meetings to complement their studies on individual basis. The Institute will provide support learning materials such as course texts, audio and video cassettes as well as computer learning aids and academic counselling. In effect, the existing face-to-face mode of interaction, that is, interaction with lecturers will be de-emphasised as students will be expected to engage in self-directed study with the aid of multi-media and e-learning technologies.

The Institute is managed by the DLI Management Board which oversees the activities of the Institute while the Academic Board of the Institute is responsible for academic programmes, examination results and related issues.

The Mission

Consistent with its founding tenets, as enunciated in the 1961 Ashby Report, the Mission of the Institute is two pronged:

The Vision

To be a centre of excellence in the provision of educational services through the Distance Learning mode.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The present General Studies Programme came into being many years back consequently upon the statute of the National University Commission to all the Federal Universities and other Higher Institution of Learning to embark upon and pass before graduation, certain courses of general and diverse nature for the students. In the past, the courses offered were called General African Studies (GAS) and the Co-ordinating office was known as GAS Office. It was then coordinated by Prof. (Mrs.) Sophia Oluwole.

The GAS Office then was at the Ground floor of the Faculty of Arts Building. Later, GAS Office was renamed GST Unit and presently GST Centre.

FUNCTIONS OF THE GST OFFICE

Among the primary functions performed by the GST centre are:

University of Lagos Security Unit started as Watch Night under the Registry until 1984 when it was moved to the Vice-Chancellor’s office. Mr. Oladipo was the first Security Officer, while Mr. Abioye (late) was his assistant until 1976. When the unit was re-organized, Mr. Ojeme (ASP) was seconded to the University Security Unit from Nigeria Police Force. He resumed duty as the first Chief Security Officer on October 7, 1976 and left the as Chief Executive Officer 1985 till 1992. Mr. R.O. Akinyemi took over the command of the leadership of the unit in acting capacity between 1992 and 1993. Mr. J.O. Akinyemi took over the command as the Chief Security Officer between 1993 and 1996. Mr. R.O. Akinyemi came back as the head in acting capacity from 1996 to 1998.

Mr. A.O.A Fadipe (DCP Retired) took over the control of command of the unit as the Chief Security Officer from 1998 to December 2003 while Mr. Dipo Akowonjo took control of the command from November 2003 till present date.

The security unit has undergone a lot of changes since inception due to environmental dynamics. In order to cope with the societal security and safety demands of the University caused by increase in students’ involvement in cult activities, University Security Committee was established by the administration. The security committee meets to make recommendations to the Vice-Chancellor on security and safety issues in the University.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE UNIT

To provide excellent security and safety of live and properties across the University system and to all concerned.

ACTIVITIES OF THE UNIT

The Security Unit is responsible for security, safety of live and properties within the University. The area of activities of the unit includes:

- Administration

- Crime detection, investigation and prevention

- Surveillance/Intelligence Operations

- Training and Traffic Control

- Fire Fighting and Prevention

The International School, University of Lagos (ISL) was founded on the 9th of November 1981, with a total enrolment of 68 pupils and six teachers. Students’ population has since risen to over 2000.

The School was established immediately, then, to absorb the primary six pupils of the Staff School who were denied placement into State Secondary Schools because of the free education policy of the then civilian government in Lagos State. However, pupils from other primary schools who were not children of University Staff were also admitted.

In 1985, the school was inspected and granted recognition and approval to present students for S.S.C.E. and G.C.E. ‘O’ level by the WAEC and the Federal Ministry of Education.

The school started classes in the Staff School premises in three classrooms. It later moved to its present permanent site in October 1985.

GOALS

The aims and aspirations of the founding fathers of the school, which have been achieved to a great extent, are among others:

Records Office [ top ]

Introduction

• The Records Office, headed by a Deputy Registrar, is responsible for keeping the academic records of all students since the inception of the University. It also issues results to students from time to time.

  Other functions of the Unit are as follows:

• Issuance of Transcripts on request from Students. The student applied for transcript and after the payment of the prescribed fees, submits the application to the Records Office. The application must state clearly the applicants matriculation number, date of birth, years of attendance in the University, course of study, the qualification(s) obtained from the University and the address to which the transcript should be forwarded.
• Employers and institutions often request for Academic confidential reports to authenticate the various claims made by our graduates. The Records office attends to such requests.
• Employers and Institutions also refer students results to the University for verification. The Records office processes such request with dispatch.
• Presently, the Records office is involved in the mobilization of students for NYSC by preparing and forwarding to the Dean of Students Affairs the list of eligible candidates (graduating students) for Service.

A fundamental cause of underdevelopment in African countries, including Nigeria, is the low level of the application of Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) in the productive sectors of their economies. Many factors contribute to the situation. One of such factors is the extant and persisting pattern of educating and training SET graduates in developing countries; a pattern which overlooks the difficult conditions under which the SET graduate is expected to work after graduation.

Studies carried out by the World Bank and the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (2001) and by the National Universities Commission (2004) demonstrate the deterioration in the quality of Nigerian SET graduates over the years. The studies show that employers believe that graduates generally lack hands-on or practical skills and competencies that would make them productive on the job.

Therefore, for a new SET graduate to be able to contribute meaningfully to the productivity of his employer and to national development efforts immediately after graduation, he must be adequately prepared through exposure to the conditions and the environment in which he will eventually work.

...more >>