A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Akoka, Prof. Tolu Odugbemi, has said that to raise the standard of the products of Nigeria’s higher institutions of learning, the stakeholders must be given a new orientation.
According to him, there is an urgent need for reorientation of various communities to note that universities located in their environs will certainly influence their lives through outstanding research output.
Odugbemi said this in a chat with our correspondent on the sideline, while delivering the university’s School of Postgraduate Studies annual lecture for 2017/2018 with the theme: ‘Teamwork and Divine Intervention: Reminiscences on Research Activities in a Developing Country Setting, Nigeria’.
The Professor of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology argued that universities must work hard with the right calibre of eminently qualified staff with passion for education, excellence and breakthroughs to impact the society positively.
Blaming poor standard of education in Nigeria on bad planning of the curricula of institutions and lack of knowledge of what education is all about by the proprietors of institutions, the university don said it was not the number of universities in any state or nation that mattered, but the quality of tuition.
He said; “that is why research equipment and facilities in all institutions should be of the highest standards. Top-heavy and research ideas must be clear, flexible, relevant and adaptable to societal needs.
“I wish to also emphasise that establishing new universities is not bad, but increasing the number of universities that are substandard with low quality is dangerous and counterproductive,” he warned.
Odugebmi also said universities needed to be properly funded to make the institutions have solid infrastructure, to attract and retain good staff to push for meaningful research findings.
“Also, there should be appropriate criteria for appointment and promotion of staff: employees need to be motivated through prompt and regular payment of salaries,” he advised.
Also speaking, former vice-president, National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, Lagos, said government should pay attention to funding of primary and secondary education, as well as ensure the implementation of a transparent recruitment process that would allow for the engagement of qualified teachers.
“Federal universities should be removed from the civil or public service syndrome and allow variations from institution to institution. But, of course, controlled with guidelines by the National Universities Commission as the monitoring agency,” he said.
On how universities can achieve meaningful and productive research, which will impact positively on the society, the don said focus, integrity, courage, perseverance and passion were important behavioural attributes.
He, however, added that there might be serious challenges, but with joint efforts, they could be tackled.
