TERTIARY EDUCATION AND THE FUTURE OF NIGERIA

04/11/2021

Author(s): YUSUF ALI SAN FCIArb

TERTIARY EDUCATION AND THE FUTURE OF NIGERIA: BEING THE CONVOCATION LECTURE DELIVERED BY YUSUF ALI SAN FCIArb AT THE 36TH CONVOCATION CEREMONIES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN HELD ON 22ND OCTOBER, 2021 AT THE UNIVERSITY MAIN AUDITORIUM

“But we are building this Center because we believe it can speak to some of the central struggles of our time. We are living through a moment of rapid disruption in technology and the global economy, in our social arrangements and our environment. Too often, it feels as if our major institutions have failed to respond effectively to these disruptions. And in the breach, we’ve are seen a growing culture of cynicism and mistrust, more division and more bitter conflict. The good news is we can reverse these trends, reimagine our institutions and rebuild our Societies in a way that gives more and more people a better life.”[1]

 INTRODUCTION

I wish to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to the Council, Senate, Vice Chancellor, Staff and Students of this great University for the invitation extended to me as the 36th Convocation lecturer, to mark part of the 36th Convocation ceremonies of the University.

The first inclination about my invitation was via a telephone call from the very able and capable Registrar of this University Dr. Fola M. Olowoleni, sometimes in the middle of September. She sought to know if I would be available to deliver this lecture. I had no hesitation to accept the invitation for many reasons, which I will recount at some point in this lecture. I asked her the topic I was to speak on and she retorted that I have a freehand to pick a topic of my choice. True enough, a formal letter inviting me to deliver this lecture did not suggest any topic but provided some direction on what the lecture should deal with. In the 3^rd paragraph of the letter under reference the Registrar stated thus:

      3.01 The modern Western university evolved from the medieval schools known as studia generalia; they were generally recognized places of study, opened to students from all parts of Europe. The earliest studia arose out of efforts to educate clerks and monks beyond the level of the cathedral and monastic schools.[2]

    The first European medieval university was the University of Magnaura in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) [now in ruins], founded in 849 by the regent Bardas of emperor Michael III, followed by the University of Salerno (9th century), [growing out of a Benedictine monastery]. The first true university,[3] an institution called such, was founded in Bologna, Italy, in 1088 and the University of Paris (c. 1100) in Paris, France, later associated with the Sorbonne. At these early dates, universities were more of an association or a guild for learning particular crafts. In the case of Bologna, the focus was law. The emphasis was on training students for more developed skills within a particular profession to serve and develop those skills at more professional levels. Oxford, the second oldest university and oldest English speaking university, was established sometime late in the 11th century. Traditions such as having a chancellor and halls of residence had become established by the 13th century. Oxford had established its oldest colleges, Balliol and Merton Colleges, by the mid 13th century.[4]

    Many of the medieval universities in Western Europe were born under the aegis of the Catholic Church, usually as cathedral schools or by papal bull as Studia Generali. In the early medieval period, most new universities were founded from pre-existing schools, usually when these schools were deemed to have become primarily sites of higher education. Many historians state that universities and cathedral schools were a continuation of the interest in learning promoted by monasteries.[5]

    Universities began to spread across Europe. Often disputes within a university led to migrations of teachers and students and the formation of new universities. Migrations from Bologna led to the founding of Padua (1222). Further moves from Padua led to the creation of a university at Vercelli (1228). Also, Cambridge University in England was established by scholars who dissented and left Oxford. Some historians claim that up to half the universities of medieval Europe originated from such disputes. Universities also sprung up seemingly on their own, although usually following the organizational principles of either Bologna or Paris. By 1500, there were 62 recognized universities in Europe.

    Universities continue to evolve today, and yet still retain some of their earliest characteristics, as formed in the medieval period.[6]

HISTORY OF UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA

    The history of university education in Nigeria is traceable to the Elliot Commission of 1943, which culminated in the establishment of University College Ibadan (UCI) in 1948. UCI was an affiliate of the University of London.[7] In April 1959, the Federal Government commissioned an inquiry, the Ashby Commission, to advise it on the higher education needs of the country for its first two decades. Before the submission of the report, the Eastern Region government established its own university at Nsukka, University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1960. The implementation of the Ashby Report led to the establishment of the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) in 1962 by the Western Region, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1962 by the Northern Region and University of Lagos 1962 by the Federal Government.

    The University College, Ibadan became a full-fledged university in 1962.[8] This meant that UCI, Ibadan and University of Lagos became the first two federal universities in Nigeria – the other three remained regional. In 1970, the newly created Midwestern region opted for a university known as University of Benin. The six universities established during this period 1960-1970 are still referred to, till today, as first generation universities. During this period, universities in Nigeria were under the close surveillance of the government. Appointments of lay members of the council, and that of the Vice-Chancellor, were politically motivated.[9]

    In the Third National Development Plan (1975 - 1980), the government established seven universities instead of the four proposed in the plan, and also took over the four regional universities in 1975. They were Universities of Calabar, Ilorin, Jos, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt and Ado Bayero University, Kano - all known as second generation universities. The third generation universities were established between 1980 and early 1990. They are: the Federal Universities of Technology in Owerri, Makurdi, Yola, Akure and Bauchi. While state universities were founded in Imo, Ondo, Lagos, Akwa- Ibom, Oyo and Cross-River states.[10] The fourth generation universities are those established between 1991 and the present date. They include more state universities, Nigerian Open University and many private universities. Thus, presently in Nigeria, there are 170 universities, a total of 43 owned by the federal government, 48 state-owned and 79 owned by private individuals and organisations; providing university education to Nigerians.[11]

      UNIVERSITY RANKING IN THE WORLD

    According to a ranking just released by Times Higher Education (THE), a London magazine that tracks the higher education market, University of

Oxford sits on top of the universities with the best reputations in the world, Stanford University comes in second and Harvard is in the third place.[12]

Times Higher Education has been putting together the World University Ranking for well over a decade, where it employs carefully calibrated performance indicators to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons available, which are trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments. The performance indicators range from the number of academic citations schools receive, to the percentage of their faculty members with Ph.D.s. To arrive at their conclusion, the magazine also polls senior, published professors at universities in more than 100 countries around the world. It asks them to nominate 15 or fewer institutions in their field which they considered to have the best departments in their area of study. Then Times Higher Education takes the data and divides it into six disciplines: social sciences, engineering, technology, physical sciences, medicine and life sciences, arts and humanities, and does its tally from there.

·         The US, with 15,980 students in early 2019

·         Malaysia, with roughly 13,000 in 2019

·         Canada, with 11,985 in 2019

·         The UK, with 10,540 in 2017/18 [14]

    The top 10 universities in the world, according to the report, are the University of Oxford (UK), with 95.6 aggregate score. It was followed by Stanford University (USA), 94.9; Harvard University (USA), 94.8; California Institute of Technology (USA), 94.5. Others are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), 94.4;

    University of Cambridge (UK), 94.0; University of California, Berkeley (USA), 92.2; Yale University (USA), 91.6; Princeton University (USA), 91.5; and The University of Chicago (USA), 90.3.[15]

In Africa, of the first 500 ranked Universities in the world, only three South African institutions made the list. They are the University of Cape Town, ranking 155th and scoring 57.3; University of Witwatersrand, between 201th and 250th; and the Stellenbosch University, between 251st and 300th.

The UK varsities top the list in Europe, with Oxford University as the leader, followed by the University of Cambridge.

    In Asia, Japan leads the way, with 116 universities in the ranking, while China comes second, with 91 ranked institutions. India is the third most-represented country, with 63 universities.[16] In North America, the USA had the top 20 universities except for the University of Toronto (Canada) came 18th, at 86.0.[17]

    In Latin America, despite Brazil being the most-represented country in the ranking, the top university for the second consecutive year is the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, although Brazil’s University of São Paulo comes in second place. The rest of the top five comprises the University of Campinas (ranked third), the Monterrey Institute of Technology, in fourth place, and the Federal University of Minas Gerais, in fifth position.[18]

    Australia has the first 8 universities in the Oceania. They are the University of Melbourne (33rd), Australian National University (54th), University of Queensland (54th), University of Sydney (72nd), Monash University (57th), University of Sydney (58th), UNSW Sydney (70th), University of Adelaide (111th) and The University of Western Australia (132nd)[19].

5.10 It is really disheartening to note that the latest World University Rankings for 2021, by all ranking bodies like Times Higher Education, USN news, OS World University Rankings, Shanghai Rankings and CWUE, has no Nigerian University in the top 500 positions. This can only be interpreted to mean that, according the latest World University Rankings, Nigeria is ‘incompetent’ to provide globally accepted degrees that can be presented and used anywhere in the world.

EXPECTATIONS FROM OUT TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

Some institutions are now applying these potent but dormant provisions of the law.

3.         MANAGEMENT GAPS: Another area of close examination is the management style and the structure of our universities. There are allegations of politically motivated decision-making, mutual back scratching, patronage and partisanship that have permeated our universities.[25] The way and manner some of the universities are being managed by the university administrators is also one of the factors militating against quality assurance in Nigerian universities. The method by which the management of the universities manage crisis is indeed poor. The style being adopted in running the universities is “we against them.” Thus constructive criticism is seen as an affront against the university management by ‘enemies’ of the system.[26]

Though a university is an academic enterprise, a lot of academic effectiveness rests on administrative support machinery.[27] Hence, the management competencies of university managers determine to a large extent, the severity of conflicts within the university, irrespective of the origin of the conflict (internal or external). Managers who have tendencies to authoritarianism and dogmatism are particularly conflict-prone.[28] Equally prone to conflicts, are those with low self-esteem and a disposition to distrust and suspicion.

4.     GOVERNMENT    INTERFERENCE:     The  anti-intellectual stance of corrupt and clueless federal and state government officials since the days of military has also eroded ethical values and academic standards      in                 the universities.         The     truncation  of   university autonomy was  accompanied  by  government interference in university affairs, ranging from appointments to promotions, discipline, salaries  and  wages.[29] 

The   government’s erstwhile proprietary role became an executive one, with government officials dictating to University Governing Councils and Senates.[30] Vice-Chancellors soon learnt the political art of defending their budgets and lobbying for subventions the same way governors lobby for federal allocations and excess crude funds. The diseases of the political system diffused into the universities as professors began to migrate between government and university positions.[31] In no time, the culture of scholarship gave way to the corruptive and materialist culture of the political system.

This level of interference by the government in the running of the universities is alarming. Even things as simple as recruitment and admission will not be complete without the president’s list, minister’s list etc. These lead to recruitment of incompetent individuals and admission of unqualified students, to the detriment of the standard of the university. Top officials of federal universities especially the vice chancellors spend more time in Abuja chasing government officials to get one thing or the other done. A large chunk of their time is taken up by meetings with, either the National Universities Commission or the Federal Ministry of Education and it's legion of parastatals.

5. CULTISM AND ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR: Secret cults in Nigerian higher institutions started as fraternities with the sole aim of maintaining law and order on the campuses. This is a role performed by secret societies in the adult communities. The cults were in existence with the aim of addressing acts of injustice, victimization and other issues capable of disturbing the peaceful atmosphere of the institutions.[32] One of the ways by which they achieved their aims was through their various publications where they exposed various vices on the campuses.[33]

In 1952, the Pirates Confraternity (also known as Seadogs) was formed at the University of Ibadan as a protest student group. Students' protests were against the suits and attitude of sigma. The Pirate, being the first known social club in any Nigerian University, saw their mode of dressing as typical example of colonial mentality and therefore adopted a motto "sworn enemies of convention” a position which portrayed them as a radical students' group.[34] The group also acted as a corrective organ of students' union. In this regard, being disciplinary in nature, they fought against all forms of injustice perpetuated either by the University authority or by the students' union.[35] In the 60s and 70s, the Pyrate and "Eiye" Confraternities were not noted for violence. They socialize freely with their fellow students. The members were intelligent and easy going. They were brilliant youths who professed their faith with extreme eagerness, without trampling on the fundamental rights of their colleagues and members of the public. They never displayed the level of crudity and barbarity that has become the vogue among the cultists of the present day Nigeria.[36] The history of the University of Ibadan, shows that the bulk of the first class and second class upper honours students were usually found among these groups of students. The first seven founders of Buccaneers are all Ph.D holders. Research shows that the Confraternity has about twenty four Ph.D holders, two hundred and fifty Masters degree holders and about seven hundred and ninety First Degree holders with about 78 Lawyers.[37]

6.     OUTMODED CURRICULAR: Unfortunately, today’s students are learning in dilapidated buildings, environmentally depressing and learning disabling situations and yet some of these students are still excelling[38]. For students, it is simply a means to acquire certificates, and not the development of their cognitive and social powers. A revisit to our present day recruitment and retention exercise need a crucial attention.

If the University focuses on its mandate of teaching, research and civic obligation, it is a great opportunity to grow the academic culture. The University should ensure that teaching and researches carried out in the institutions reflect the need of the society. Societies often make demands on higher education on the intelligentsia. When the United States (U. S.) was facing the oil crises of 1974-1975, the government fell back on their universities for advice and strategies that reversed the situation. Similarly, there was pressure for expansion of enrolment and increment of faculty staff on American Universities, after the Second World War. These challenges were ultimately dealt with successfully.[39] This can only be achieved in Nigeria by introducing academic curricular that reflect the solutions to the challenges of the modern    day society.       Virtually all              the   universities          that       have attained academic excellence like Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford and so on are funded by foundations, trusts, industries and bequests of wealthy patrons, due in large part because of the relevance of their curricular to the needs of the society.

7.     WASTE AND MISMANAGEMENT: Despite the inadequate funding of universities, we still have various areas of waste by the leadership of the universities, which if well harnessed can be effectively directed towards the expansion of facilities to accommodate a larger number of students. The existence of  several official vehicles, which some institutions brand as project vehicles, but used for private businesses do not augur well for the system. Even when these vehicles are most times used for private activities, they are fuelled and maintained by their respective institutions. This in itself negates the principle of consolidation.[40] The        scarce  resources  available    to   the  universities are  not channelled towards research and training. Rather the university is involved in all things that are not part of its core mandate. The system might not get the desired impact until the culture of accountability and transparency is instituted in these institutions. Instances of abandoned projects at various institutions, which nobody got queried for, abound as testimonials to this fact. Most often, times      than not,  the  fund-related problems      being experienced  by  the Universities       are          caused,   not necessarily because of lack of funds but as a result of the misplaced priorities by university   authorities.      So   there          is           the            need      for   the management of the universities to think fast and re-prioritise on the key areas that will help to deliver on the core mandates of this institution.

8. TOWN      AND GOWN      INTERACTION/RELATIONSHIP:       There       is obvious lack of communication between the university (the gown) and the larger society (the town). Nigerian universities operate like islands. People in the town don’t know what the University is all about and the university knows little about how to interact with the town.

The promotion of cordial town and gown relationship is mutually beneficial for both the university and the community. The institution has a lot to gain in terms of peace, stability and security, whereas the communities benefit in terms of economic gains, social and community services.[41] It has been recommended that the University’s programmes and policies should be planned to meet the needs of the communities, a forum for friends of the Institution should be established.[42]There could be a formal structured Parents Association and Alumni. This would ensure unity between the university and the host community and consequently fend off the problem of interference, since there will be little or no strife to warrant any form of intervention by the government.

The  gown  and  the  town  must  communicate  effectively  to  arrive at course content that meets society’s immediate and long-term needs. Therefore, as a way of bridging this gown-town divide, universities need to begin, from time to time, to invite industry experts to interact with both students and lecturers to share on- the-field experiences. There is no reason, for instance, why a fellow who has spent a lifetime in a particular industry, say, automobile, cannot get a place as adjunct professor in the Mechanical Engineering department of a Nigerian university. For all you care, such a fellow sharing hands-on experience with students might have greater impact than a professor’s whole semester’s lecture notes.

11. CORRUPTION/GRAFT: As Nigerians struggle to tame the psychosocial beast known as corruption, they have particularly beamed the searchlight on the behaviour of public officials (civil servants, military and police personnel, elected officials etc.) and former public officials, contractors, business associates of public officials and families of public officials. However, one sector of our society that has escaped the penetrating searchlight is education. The educational sector seems to escape critical assessment on the conduct of educational bureaucrats, administrators of various educational institutions and the faculty.[43] Like most sectors in Nigeria, corruption is the bedrock of all the problems in the system. It pervades every area, from appointment of the Vice Chancellor to cleaners. Qualified and competent people are not brought into the system in order to make way for the friends and families of the powers that be, whether or not they are qualified. Graduates are thus turned loose on the society without the ability to defend the grades they obtained from the universities. Many of our graduates are not fit for purpose.

12.           FAULTY APPOINTMENT PROCESS OF PRINCIPAL OFFICERS: The Principal Officers of the University are the Vice Chancellor, the Deputy Vice Chancellors, Bursar, Librarian and in some instances, the Director of works. In relation to the appointment of Principal officers, there must be respect for academic excellence, managerial/leadership capabilities, transparency and accountability, and the non‐negative application of the principle of federal character to stem the tide of emerging sectional agitations and clamour for indigenes and other parochial interests. There is no template or guidelines to produce leadership. Apart from the advertised criteria, there are no practical qualities being looked out for. The Principal Officers form the leadership of the University, it is therefore important to ensure that they possess the requisite qualities and character required for leadership. Where the focus is merely on academic qualification and experience as is usually included in the advertised criteria, the Councils are in danger of appointing individuals with credentials but no character. Having such leaders portend danger for the autonomy of any institution as they will be prone to strife and rancor that is bound to result from poor leadership. As much as possible, ‘indigene‐ship’ should not be critical in the appointment of principal officers.[44]

It is common sight today to see vice chancellors rivaling political office holders on the use of of convoy and other ephemeral bounties of office. I recall that in my days at IFE when late Prof Ojetunji Aboyade was vice chancellor, he was still teaching students economics, his core area of specialization.

13.    EXTERNALIZATION OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS: This is now a growing tendency for members of the academic and administrators of our Universities of running to ‘Godfathers’ with actual or perceived influence to intervene in matters concerning members of the University. It is common for staff of the University to seek for intervention of individuals external to the University administration in matters like promotion, discipline e.t.c. Even procedures for employment of staff and admission of students are usually bogged down by lists from different quarters external to the University, leading to little or no exercise of power by the University itself.

14. ATTITUDE: It’s often said that one’s attitude determines one’s altitude. The attitude of stakeholders in our university system constitutes a veritable danger to attainment of true autonomy for the universities. Cronyism, corruption, lack of commitment, divided attention and loyalty are some of the self imposed problems eroding autonomy of our universities. The unfolding saga at the University of Lagos as a clear case point.

15.              MULTIPLICITY OF REGULATORS: There are too many regulatory bodies and authorities that make autonomy almost impossible for our universities especially the federal universities. To underscore the point, ask any vice chancellor of a federal university how many times he or she goes to Abuja in a month to answer one agency or the other.

16.              LOCALIZATION OF LEADERSHIP: A University is a universal place, in that it accommodates all shades of opinions and persons without taking into account ethnicity, tribal affiliation, religious and other mundane considerations. That is ideal.

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