Professional Assessment of Theatre Education Quality in Private Universities in South East Nigeria

Private universities in South East Nigeria have expanded theatre arts programmes in recent years, and professional quality assessment of these programmes provides evidence for accreditation standards and curriculum improvement. This study professionally assessed theatre education quality at five private universities offering drama and theatre arts programmes in Anambra, Enugu, and Imo States, South East Nigeria. A structured quality assessment framework based on NUC minimum academic standards was applied through documentation review, structured interviews with 15 heads of department and 20 faculty members, classroom observations of 10 drama courses, and student focus groups involving 40 final-year students. Assessment dimensions covered curriculum design, faculty qualifications, theatre infrastructure, industry linkage, and graduate outcomes. Results showed that curriculum design adequacy was confirmed in 3 of 5 institutions. Dedicated theatre performance spaces were available in only 2 institutions. Faculty with practice-based theatre experience (beyond academic qualifications) were present in all institutions but constituted fewer than 40 percent of teaching staff in 4 cases. Industry internship or placement programmes existed in only 1 institution. Graduate employment in theatre-related work was tracked by none of the five institutions. The study recommends NUC incorporating industry practice requirements into private university theatre arts accreditation standards, mandatory theatre infrastructure provisions, and graduate employment tracking as a programme quality indicator.

Keywords: theatre education quality, private universities, South East Nigeria, NUC accreditation, drama curriculum