The Role of Regulatory Bodies in Sustaining Educational Development in Nigeria: An Assessment of the National Universities Commission

This study examined how regulation by educational regulatory bodies support educational growth in Nigeria, with particular emphasis on the National Universities Commission (NUC) the main higher education regulator in The study evaluated the NUC’s contributions and difficulties in regulating higher education by critically analyzing its mandates, which include funding, quality assurance, accreditation, and licensing. The concept was based on governance theory, which emphasizes the value of stakeholder engagement, accountability, and transparency in governing educational systems. Using a qualitative approach, the study examined the NUC’s regulatory function by consulting secondary sources such as reports, policy documents, and scholarly literature. The results showed that although the NUC has made great strides in standardizing academic quality, increasing access to higher education, and integrating information technology in universities, it still faces ongoing difficulties. These include insufficient funding, insufficient staff, inadequate capacity building, and all of which reduce its efficacy in practice than in theory towards national development. The study concluded that improving the NUC’s regulatory competence requires tackling the challenging issues through greater funding, improved institutional autonomy, capacity building, and technology innovation. These changes are essential to guaranteeing the viability of Nigeria’s higher education system and bringing it into line with international standards, for national development.