Former Vice-Chancellor of University of AdoEkiti (UNAD), now Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti, Prof Dipo Kolawole, has spoken of urgent need to reinvent the wheel of the Nigerian University System so as to align it with those of other countries of the world, and to transmit from its local confines to be globally competitive and comparative.
He disclosed this while delivering the 13th convocation lecture of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, with the theme: “Global Perspectives, Local Impacts: Shaping the Future of Nigerian Universities.”
Kolawole, a Professor of Political Science, further declared that in order to have or to be seen as aspiring to have world-class universities of the 21st Century, a lot must be done, especially in the areas of adequate funding of our universities, and enhanced welfare of workers.
Kolawole, who identified 10 critical issues and areas that can assist in the attainment and realisation of such aspiration and goals, noted that over the years the unwillingness of the government at the federal and state levels to adequately fund universities has been a major bane of the system.
“It is only a few leaders who are genuinely and passionately committed to education that have bothered to meaningfully increase the monthly subventions to the universities.
For example, at the federal level, the total allocation to education in the current budget is N2.18 trillion, which constitutes 7.9 per cent of the total budget,” he stated.
According to the former Vice-Chancellor, this is a far cry from the needs of education in a country of Nigeria’s standing with an estimated population of 220 million people.
Thus, the retired don insisted that, as a country, our universities must vigorously continue to strive for relevance in the global community of universities, even as he noted that this is to be done in pari passu with sustaining the local impacts of the universities.
Kolawole added: “But, we must continually be part of the knowledge economy. There are some needs for global relevance that are beyond university management.
The government and proprietors of universities must enhance the welfare of their staff with wages that are comparable to global universities, and to create learning environments that can stand with other global universities in terms of infrastructure, learning and teaching aids.
“It is the best teacher who is teaching the best students under the best atmosphere and in the best environment that will produce quality graduates for national development.
And for the lecturers, the best talented academics will attract external funds for quality research. “The funding agents and funding institutions will only invest in research projects that will benefit them and only talented scholars can do this.”
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