A REVIEW OF THE CURRICULUM OF QUANTITY SURVEYING OF AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY ZARIA TO THE MODERN CHALLENGES OF THE PROFESSION

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Services offered by the Quantity Surveyor. 5

Table 2: Profile of an ideal Quantity Surveyor. 15

Table 3: Skills that lead to a competent Quantity Surveyor as provided by the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS). 16

Table 4: Competencies required of Quantity Surveyors by RICS. 20

Table 5: lists of new areas in the construction industry. 46

Table 6: Respondents' perception on natural science topics. 50

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

Background of the study

Trisa (2004) mentioned that change is the dominant factor of the society today. It is in this line that Ashworth & Hogg (2007), Nkado, and Hasmawati and Johan all asserted that the construction industry is changing and the Quantity Surveying professional status quo is no longer applied to the challenges brought by the changes. Matzdorf, et al (1997) explains further by asserting that the Quantity Surveying profession is facing threats to its traditional roles and functions as a result of the changing client needs in the construction industry. Ashworth & Hogg (2007) went further to assert that if the profession did not adapt to change then it will not exist in the future. Due to rapid changes and diversification in both the profession and the construction industry, it has become more important to produce well qualified and competent graduates to meet the challenges of the profession. Anago (2006) in her paper “the Quantity Surveyor and road map to the future” contended that ‘our basic education and training should be an enhanced package of our current core competencies decorated with knowledge ‘pouched’ or acquired from professions/discipline.’ Education is one of the critical factors in the success or failure of the construction industry. Education is the backbone of the development of the innate potential of an individual. Knowledge, skills and belief (philosophy as end product of education) are acquired and developed through teaching and learning. The philosophy of professional disciplines acquired and developed at higher educational institutions goes a long way to determine the professional outcomes. (Olukayode, 2006).

Tunde (2006) identified the services offered by Quantity Surveyors follows:

Table 1: Services offered by the Quantity Surveyor

Source: Tunde (2006).

These aforementioned services provided by the Quantity Surveyor suggest that Quantity Surveying, within the context of construction industry is multi disciplinary in nature. As mentioned by Zakaria et al (2006) ‘Quantity Surveying study encompasses various elements which includes law, economics, management, administration, technology, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), manufacturing, mathematics, operational research etc.

The University is established for knowledge generation. It is central to the development and growth of any discipline. The University is known not only for teaching but also primarily for research as a basis for advancing the frontier of knowledge and clearing the fog of ignorance. The University is a community of scholars, teachers and researchers who are exploring the body of existing knowledge in relation to the evolving reality and seeking to discover new knowledge (Olukayode, 2006).

As the scope of the Quantity Surveying profession is fast expanding, it is important to structure the university curricular to adapt to the changes. Ahmadu Bello University is one of the universities offering Quantity Surveying in Nigeria. Thus the curriculum of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria need to be structured in order to address the changing needs. Therefore producing competent graduates who are up to date and abreast with express changes in the construction industry should be paramount to an institution as important as Ahmadu Bello University.

1.2. Aim and Objectives

1.2.1. Aim

The aim of this research is to review curriculum of Quantity Surveying in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in order to fulfill the need of the contemporary construction industry.

1.2.2. Objectives

The above aim will be supported by the following objectives:

1. To obtain and study the curriculum of Quantity Surveying of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria;
2. To identify the new areas in the profession caused by the changing nature of the construction industry;
3. To examine the current syllabus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to see if it fulfills the needs of the industry;
4. To propose a curriculum that befits today’s practice in the Quantity Surveying profession.

1.3. Statement of the Problem

Trisa (2004) mentioned that change is the dominant factor of the society today. It is in this line that Ashworth & Hogg (2007), Nkado, and Hasmawati and Johan all asserted that the construction industry is changing and the Quantity Surveying professional status quo is no longer applied to the challenges brought by the changes. Matzdorf, et al (1997) explains further by asserting that the Quantity Surveying profession is facing threats to its traditional roles and functions as a result of the changing client needs in the construction industry.

1.4. Scope

This study seeks to      review the curriculum of Quantity Surveying in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

1.5. Limitation

The research focuses on the new areas that should be incorporated in the curriculum of the undergraduates Quantity Surveying programme of ABU, Zaria. It gives little attention to areas that may be obsolete and needs to be expunged from the curriculum.

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