ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to evaluate the undergraduate sculpture curricula in Nigerian Universities to see whether they were working in consonance with the National Universities Commission's (NUC) Minimum Academic Standard (MAS). The objectives were to: assess the personnel's awareness of the regulatory body; determine the adequacy and relevance of the curriculum of current undergraduate sculpture programme in Nigerian universities; ascertain the effectiveness of instructional strategies used by lecturers in Nigerian universities; examine the suitability of available facilities and equipment pertinent to effective sculpture curriculum at university level and assess the full implementation of undergraduate sculpture programme in terms of quantity and quality of personnel. A total of seven universities were purposively sampled to reduce the lopsidedness associated with the citing of universities offering sculpture in the country. The respondents were drawn from the sculpture lecturers and specializing sculpture students of 2009/2010 academic-year in Nigerian Universities. The research method used was descriptive and data were collected through the use of questionnaire administration and informal interviews. The students' questionnaire contained twenty items, which were meant to corroborate their lecturers' responses to the twenty items on their questionnaires on the specific objectives of the study. Scores were assigned using Likert-Five-point technique of data gathering and analysis. The discriminations between respondents in the institutions were expressed using mean scores, percentages and standard deviation. The following findings emerged from the analysis: that the response to the awareness, adequacy of content and compliance to NUC's MAS scored a total average percentage of 73; that of effectiveness of instructional strategy was 84; availability of equipment and facilities scored 43 while personnel level had 64. In conclusion, Nigerian universities are aware of NUC's minimum academic requirement and are in compliance with its regulations in terms of content. The differences may have occurred from individual universities' location, implementation, innovations and cultural settings; the methods adopted by the universities for teaching sculpture are very effective and are capable of achieving desired educational expectations in sculpture; the universities need to put in a lot of efforts to be able to meet NUC's minimum academic requirements in terms of facilities and equipment; the universities have adequate number of highly qualified and efficient lecturers who are abreast with new methods and techniques in sculpture.