History of Natural :
The Natural Science Programme is one of the innovations of the School of General Studies, which made the University of Nigeria, Nsukka peculiar in the history of university education in Nigeria in the early 1960’s. It was designed to furnish the science component of the General Studies programme so as to endear the newly admitted students to scientific practices and innovations in the then known world.
By the Eastern Nigerian Law (E.N.L) No. 21 of 1961, Statute 6, the Natural Science Unit was established in the 1961/62 academic session in then “John Russwarm College of General Studies.” However, it was not until the 1970/1971 academic session at the end of the Nigeria civil war that the Unit had its first student enrolment of about four hundred and thirty one. Thereafter, the Unit continued to grow yearly in terms of undergraduate students’ enrolment till 1988/1989 academic session when the undergraduate enrolment hit the three thousand mark. Ever since then, the undergraduate enrolment has continued to increase.
The curriculum has been reviewed and updated to keep in step with current trends in Science and Technology particularly in the areas of health, nutrition, climate change, Information Communication Technology (ICT), etc.
These changes were mainly driven by external factors such as the pandemic diseases (AIDS and Ebola), increasing natural disasters due to climate change, ioterrorism etc.
Management and Funding:
The Unit is managed by a Coordinator assisted by teaching and non-teaching staff. It is funded through subvention from the University Administration.
Natural Science is a term that refers to a large part of man’s knowledge concerning the nature of man and the universe in which he lives. This knowledge has been acquired largely by means of problem solving behavior, by being acquainted with some of the facts that make up the body of knowledge known as science and also by being introduced to the scientific methods involved in solving them. The course is offered to students who are majoring in non-science based departments and faculties.
Natural Science with its great wealth of materials and its use of scientific methods therefore has a fundamental role to play in helping students understand the forces which reshape a civilization and which also threaten to destroy it. Understanding the social implications of the sciences is imperative in a General Studies Programme.
Vision of the Unit:
- To furnish the science component of the General Studies programme that is in tune with the life of the people.
- To introduce students of non-science-based departments to scientific practices and innovations in the world.
- To ensure the production of university graduates from the Faculties of Arts, Business Administration, Law, the Social Sciences and Departments of Arts Education who will be capable of applying scientific ideas to issues in their fields.
Mission of the Unit:
- To stimulate students’ interest in science;
- Establish the inter-relationship between the science disciplines;
- Create an awareness of the services of science to man;
- Highlight the effects of science on human society and development.