By Felix Khanoba
The University of Abuja (UniAbuja) on Friday announced the commencement of a professional master’s degree programme in Publishing Studies.
The Vice Chancellor of UniAbuja, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, made this known while briefing newsmen on the establishment of International Institute for Publishing Studies (UIIPS) in the university.
Na’Allah said the Institute was put in place to ensure the training of manpower in the area of printing and publishing in Nigeria and across the world, adding that its academic programme is expected to attract students from within and outside the shores of the country.
Speaking further, Prof. Na’Allah said the bold initiative is aimed at promoting academic standards, ethical and professional values in publishing studies and professions in Nigeria and globally.
While lamenting the poor quality of publishing in the country, the VC said the new master’s programme would be a game changer and meet the needs of Nigeria and several other countries.
“Printers are everywhere in this nation, but there is no institution that is training them, and we ffeel thatas University of Abuja we have that responsibility as the university in the nation’s capital to bring out ideas and activities that will respond to our needs.
“Universities are suffering, and in Nigeria, we have many publishers that don’t know the need for academic work when they publish.
“People just pay them, and they get their work published, they just see it as business. You go through them, and you are really ashamed of the productions that are coming out of them,” he said.
Na’Allah, who commended the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for constructing the academic publishing building that is housing the institute, said the new programme would provide opportunities for practical learning with state-of-the-art facilities and networking with renowned international scholars from the United Kingdom and the United States, among others.
On his part, the Director of the Institute, Emeritus Professor Chris Ogbondah, said the institute will run a 12-month academic programme for the professional masters degree.
He said it will also offer a 24-credit hour programme with six hours in practicals or internships as part of the professionalists curriculum.
“What we will be doing here is training people who can edit and produce media content, not just printing,” he added.
