BENCHMARKING PERIODIC REVIEW, MINIMUM STANDARD AND EXCHANGE PROGRAMME FOR STAFF AND STUDENTS AS PREDICTORS OF QUALITY OF GRADUATES IN NIGERIAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

Oyekan, O.A.

National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration Ondo, Nigeria.

E-mail: oyekanope@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT: In recent years, Nigerians have expressed serious concern over the quality of University graduates. In spite of efforts and studies on quality assurance in the Nigerian university education system, the problem of low quality still persists in the system. This raises the question of the use of quality control measures (benchmarking periodic review and minimum standard including exchange programme for staff and students), in ensuring quality within the system. This study, therefore, investigated the influence of benchmarking periodic review and minimum standard including exchange programme for staff and students as predictors of quality of graduates in public Universities in Nigeria. Descriptive survey research of the ex-post facto type was adopted. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 30 deputy vice-chancellors, 225 heads of department and 1125 lecturers and fifteen public conventional Universities spread across the six geo-political zones in the nation. Four research instruments namely Quality Control Measures Questionnaire for Heads of Department (r = 0.83), Quality Control Questionnaire on University Ranking (r = 0.77), Quality Control Questionnaire for Lecturers (r = 0.79) and Quality of Graduate Record Format Checklist were used. Two research questions were tested at the 0.05 level of significance.  Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Multiple Regression. Benchmarking periodic review and minimum standards (β = 0.35): post UTME (β = 0.27); and exchange programmes for staff and students (β = 0.14); had significant positive contribution to the quality of graduates. Benchmarking periodic review and minimum standard were fairly adhered to (weighted average = 2.51) that is apart from NUC and senate of universities, other stakeholders such as educational policy makers also participate in the monitoring of quality in the universities. Quality control measures exert great influence on the quality of graduates in public universities in Nigeria. Therefore, the National Universities Commission (NUC) should continually monitor the quality control measures to enhance higher quality of graduates. Adequate facilities and equipment should be provided for the universities to meet the needs of the system and periodic exchange programmes for lecturers and students should be provided.