THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2013
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EDUCATION
Dons counsel on managing access, cultism in 2013
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O solve recurring problems of access and cultism in tertiary institutions in 2013, two academics recommend that government should embrace distance learning, and parents should manage their wards properly. Regarding providing access to tertiary education, Provost of the Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, MOCPED, Norforija-Epe, Prof Olu Akeusola said governments should channel their efforts on improving Open Distance Learning (ODL). “Government should concentrate on ODL in 2013. This is the only instrument of mass education. ODL
By Adegunle Olugbamila
offers liberty and flexibility of time, place, choice, money and means. As an ODL student, you can decide the right time to study if you are in the working class. There is no full or part time in distant learning; there is no manipulation, bribery or sexual harassment because there is a respectable distance between the teachers and students. Relationship with the two parties is mostly done online. Besides, it is the easiest and cheapest mean of learning. If we miss it, we miss all.” To reverse brain drain of quality academics that are already in short
supply, Akeusola said lecturers must be well motivated. “I am not also happy because the people (lecturers) producing human resources in this country have been abandoned. But I am not surprised because the politicians who abandoned them have their children studying overseas. “I’ve been to Europe, America and Saudi Arabia for conferences where I was accorded a red-carpet reception; but back home poor attention is given to us teachers, so why would there not be a brain drain in the country if our colleagues are appreciated overseas?” To win the war against cultism,
Ilesagrams old students renovate classrooms
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BLOCK of 12-classrooms at Ilesa Grammar School, Osogbo is wearing a new look, thanks to the 1968-72 set which renovated the structure in commemoration of their 40th anniversary of passing out of the school. The block, which cost the old students N3million to repair, was dedicated with pomp and pageantry last Friday. The occasion presented an opportunity for reunion of both the members of the set, some of who last saw themselves as students 40 years, as well as their seniors and juniors. The event, anchored by Dr Kola Kazeem, was graced by prominent members of the set including Prof Foluso Okunmadewa, an official of World Bank; Laoye Ogbara, an Assistant Commissioner of Police; while Engineer Aro Fadare of 1964 set and Mr Dosu Gidigbi of 1973 set were among the special guests. Friends of the class such as Year 2009 National Merit Award winner, Prof Oye Gureje, Prof Akinola Alada, Dean, Students’ Affairs, University of Ibadan and others from all walks of life also joined in the celebration. The Chairman and Special Guest of the dedication ceremony, a alumnus of the school - Prof Isaac Adewole, Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan immensely appreciated the spirit of giving back to the School by the set in a manner that no other set of the school post In-
dependence had done. To him , the set had set a very high standard and inspiration for others as target to meet and possibly surpass. He challenged his 1966-1970 set and promised that he will ensure that they will immediately take up the old Jubilee Classroom block and comprehensively renovate it very soon while he challenged the 1969-73 set to do likewise with a milestone project to mark its 40th Anniversary , which is due next year. Coordinator of the project for the 1968- 72 set, Mr Bosun Falore appreciated God’s benevolence on the members and stressed the need to assist the Osun State government in providing qualitative facilities. Dr .OladimejiAlo – the MD/CEO of Excel Consultants Ltd and a member of the class set, who proposed the toast, eulogised the school for hhaving produced individuals of great repute in all productive sectors of the economy. He urged all old students to come to ensure that the school lost glory is restored. He appreciated the cooperative spirit of the members of the set for providing the fund, as well as the exemplary leadership provided by Mr Falore and Mr Yomi Olomolaiye a member of the set, who greatly assisted the completion of the project on schedule despite the daunting challenges. Reverend Donald Oke, the Senior School Principal, expressed appreciation for the set’s large heart. He promised to put the building into good use.
this is low visibility of the institutions.This portal is, therefore, a bold step towards building world class universities in Nigeria. “I understand that the NUCOnline Programme Accreditation Portal offers a unified system in the management of Nigerian universities for enhanced academic structure and visibility. With deliverables such as the automation of database of all universities in Nigeria with link to the National Universities Commission (NUC), the management of our university system is certainly not to be the same again. “I appeal to all our universities and stakeholders to embrace this laudable initiative, which has opened up new frontiers of engagement for the benefit of all stakeholders in the university education sub-sector and the general public. They should also upgrade their system in order to enjoy the full benefits of the portal and co-operate, fully, with NUC so as to make its oversight function less onerous to make it a success.”
Varsities needs assessment report The report submitted by the
Committee on Needs Assessment of Nigerian Universities last November, focused on the poor state of facilities, inadequate number of academics, bloated nonacademic workforce and mismanagement in public-owned universities. The 11-man committee chaired by Prof Mahmood Yakubu, Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), recommended reforms that if adopted by the Federal Government this year, will have far-reaching implications on how universities are managed and how they recruit workers. To ensure that universities do not cheat on standards of equipment, quality of teachers, the committee recommended that NUC be empowered to shut institutions that do not meet accreditation requirement. “Government needs to empower and re-strengthen the National Universities Commission to enforce all accreditation criteria and ensure objectivity and patriotism in the conduct of the exercise. In this regards, credible scholars and university managers with track records of discipline, quality scholarship, respect of law and laid down procedures, seasoned professionals from the relevant professional bodies, and committed
•Akeusola
home, I strongly believe we will be getting somewhere in 2013.”
•The block before renovation
•The new look
Education’s outlook in 2013 • Continued from page 25
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (Unilag) Prof Rahmon Bello said parents must meet the needs of their wards. He said: “It starts from home. It is as a result of certain basic necessities lacking. Over the years, we have found out that majority of those who engage in cultism have family problems, only few of them from good homes join bad companies probably because of curiosity. “I think the solution is for parents to monitor what their children do; go out of their way for their welfare. That is why I said parents have more work to do because If addressing cultism can start from
to building a strong university system for the country shall be involved in the exercise. Universities that lied, forged their records, hire equipment or hire mercenary staff just for accreditation purposes shall be closed down for a minimum of five years,” the committee stated. With regards to staffing, especially the non-academic cadre, implementation of the committee’s recommendation would result in drastic trimming of non-teachers in Nigerian universities as government seeks to reverse the student/teacher ratio that currently stands at 1:100 and above in some universities. This is as a result of the committee’s findings that fulltime non-academics in the universities are 77,511 compared to 37,504 academics (28,128 of whom are employed full-time). Workers in the registry and bursary units will be particularly affected. The committee recommends, among others, that non-academics should be deployed to universities directly from the Federal Ministry of Education (FME). The report stated: “For Nigerian universities to be effectively managed, misplacement of priorities and unnecessary personnel cost need to be stopped. Consequently, it is recommended
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We know that the poor rating is not due to a lack of the required intellectual capacity, but basically due to poor management of resources in our institutions. One of the results of this is low visibility of the nstitutions.This portal is, therefore, a bold step towards building world class universities in Nigeria
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to government to order for an immediate embargo on the recruitment of non-teaching staff in all Nigerian universities. Having the support staff to out-number the main staff is a complete misnomer in the university. “For government, and other funding agencies to concentrate on the business of supporting teaching, learning and research; and for the university managers to concentrate on pursuing the mission, vision and core values of their institution, it is recommended to government to study the feasibility and viability of converting all non-teaching staff in
Nigerian universities into the staff of Federal or State Ministry of Education (as the case may be). If this is done, governments and funding agencies know for certain every investment would go into the main mandate of the university. Administrative spending and personnel cost would only be restricted to academic matters. Universities would have more resources, more time, and more attention to research, learning, and teaching. And government would have full control over the increasing growth of the population of non-teaching staff in the universities.”