Going by the current situation
bedevilling our tertiary education system, Peter Okebukola, a professor
at the Lagos State University (LASU) in this interview with Kelechi
Ewuzie gives answers to some of the pressing issue facing this key level
of education. Excerpt:
What are the reasons why Nigeria doesn’t have academic stability?
The main reason for instability in
academic calendar in the Nigerian university system is interruptions due
to strikes by staff union. We must not come away with the impression
that it is only ASUU that strikes and causes students to stay home.
Other staff unions such as SSANU, NASU and to a lesser extent NATT are
equally guilty.
It is oftentimes like a relay race. As
soon as ASUU ends its strike, the other unions pick up strikes to press
home their own demands that are largely similar to those of ASUU. The
unions go on strike, among other reasons to draw attention to demands on
staff welfare and suitable work environment especially when agreements
reached between them and government are not honoured in good time.
Looking at the issue critically, how best should Nigerian universities be managed, as an organisation?
Universities need to be in the hands of
managers who can run the institution efficiently and prudentially manage
resources. Such managers include the Council, Vice Chancellor and his
or her Senate. This means we should not be parochial and nepotistic in
appointing the managers or subject such appointments to the vagaries of
politics and religious affiliation. We also need to give the managers
enough resources especially funds to run the universities and ruthlessly
sanction those who are careless with such funds.
What is your take on federal government policy on education?
Our National Policy on Education is one
of the finest documents on education in Africa. It virtually covers all
angles in the delivery of education. It is not working as envisioned in
some areas because many are satisfied with flouting its provisions since
the penalty for transgression is weak.
Is federal government’s allocation for education sufficient to fund development in the universities?
Noting that in the last seven years the
allocation to federal universities has more than quadrupled, the federal
government deserves praise in funding its universities. However, the
level of funding is still far short of what is needed to restore the
university system to its old glory.
My estimate is that the universities
need more than triple their current funding levels. It is my view that
government alone cannot provide all the funds. The universities should
be resourceful enough to explore others ways of securing additional
funds to support government subvention.
With the preference of employers to
hire graduates with foreign degrees to the detriment of graduates from
our local universities, what does this portend for the development of
the education and productive level in this country?
It is a crying shame that the quality of
many (not all!) of the products of our universities is rather poor and
employers will rightfully extract the best from the pool and in some
cases elect to employ those with foreign degrees from North America and
Europe.
Surely, it is a development that will
hinder national productivity. The good news is that steps are being
taken to address the problem through compulsory entrepreneurial studies
programme in our universities and the tightening of admission process to
select only the best from the secondary school system.
No comments:
Post a Comment