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Transforming Nigerian Universities....
By
Dr. Raphael Ogar Oko
Newsdiaryonline Fri
Nov 4,2011
Dr. Oko
The Nigerian
universities were formed
with the hope to provide opportunities for higher education for
all Nigerians. Their programs were meant to
inform Nigerians
about the wonderful opportunities for higher education.
Unfortunately, universities in Nigeria have been so badly
deformed that it is
rather becoming an institution for the transmission of
“Educationally Transmitted Diseases”.
Today, universities have become places for sale of
knowledge. Learners are limited to the institutions they are
admitted into and its universal name have been defeated. Access
to university education is being seen as a rare privilege and
not a right of the citizens. JAMB has become a stumbling block
for many and recently post JAMB examinations are being organized
by individual universities. The quality and quantity of citizens
graduating from universities are of grave concern. Many who are
qualified are unable to secure admission and many who are
admitted are not getting the required quality of education from
their universities. Yet, once admitted, one is confined to the
same university despite the many challenges that may call for
transfer to other universities and even learning from other
scholars who may be better.
The need for "Freedom of
University Education" is becoming inevitable. In this age, where
all nations have proclaimed and affirmed the goal of education
of all, we need to begin to reflect on ideas that will guarantee
qualitative university education for all. By 2015, it is
expected that all children of primary school age should be able
to begin and complete a full course of primary education.
Consequently, most children will be qualified for transition to
the next level of secondary education. Within five or six years,
all secondary school graduates shall be due for university
education. What shall we do as the need for university education
will increase in unimaginable ways?
It is my opinion that we
need to begin now to explore strategies of providing quality
access to and opportunities for university education. With a
growing population estimated at 167 million by October 2011, it
is very likely that Nigeria’s population will be over 200
million by 2020. Out of these, more than 70 million will be of
university education age. Unfortunately, we have barely less
than 120 universities in Nigeria at the moment. None of the
universities at the moment have the capacity to provide
opportunities for up to 1 million students. Evidently, many
young Nigerians shall not have access to university education if
some renewal efforts are not initiated now.
There is a glaring need
to create structures that will facilitate freedom of university
education in Nigeria. The conventional university system is
unable to meet the aspirations of the present generation and
cannot guarantee opportunities for the future generations.
First, we need to increase investment in open universities in
this age of abundant open educational resources.
The present “National Open University of Nigeria” is
beclouded with several administrative challenges that it is more
of a glorified “closed university”. Despite the name of being an
open university, the NOUN does not offer any remarkable online
course for intending university students. Lectures as well as
examinations are still confined to “study centers” which makes
the whole idea not different from distance learning programs.
Reflecting on the
challenges that the universities are facing, one of the radical
efforts that can reform and transform university education in
Nigeria is the introduction of the National University
Graduation Examinations Council (NUGEC) as an agency of the
National Universities Commission charged with the
responsibilities of establishing a national university
curriculum, organizing university examinations and liaising with
the NUC to issue graduation certificates, diplomas and degrees.
The National Universities Graduation Examination Council can be
involved in conducting both internal and external graduation
examination in a way that is similar to the present WAEC and
NECO at the secondary school levels. This has allowed investors
in education to establish schools and examination preparation
centers to prepare candidates for final examinations. This will
also provide remedial opportunities for students who failed out
of the university or never had formal opportunities for
university education.
This will surely
encourage the idea of "freedom of learning" and the renewal of
university educational policies in Nigeria. As you know so well,
we live in the age of "Education For All" which implies that
everyone without exception need to be educated, realizing that
an educated population are an asset to the nation rather than a
liability. The providence of restoration of education has
provided us with the opportunity to learn anywhere, anytime and
from anybody through the utilization of technology and the
emergence of Open Educational Resources. We need to teach
everyone, and the resources for everyone to learn are available
but the present university's idea of limiting graduation
examinations to specific universities has put all the
opportunities we have at a near useless state.
It grieves my heart as I
see thousands and millions of young Nigerians who are due for
university education still roaming about the streets and in
examination preparatory classes for an unending JAMB examination
which they are never sure of ever passing, and even when they
pass, they find no placements in the university. How and when
shall we be able to pay the price of these denial of educational
opportunities to our young people and what shall they say about
us in the future when they come to this realization of what we
failed to do?
Many have postulated
that Nigeria's leadership should be held responsible for the
failure of our system, and I do agree to a large extent. At the
same time, the university, which was inspired to serve as an
institution to provide universal access to education, teach
universal values, knowledge and skills as well as raise global
citizens, have become a shadow of itself. Instead of becoming
"universities without borders", we find our universities
declining and limiting itself as "universities within borders"
and even recently clamoring for autonomy and independence in
this global age of interdependence. Nigeria and many nations
became independent in the 1960s but our universities are seeking
independence in the 2010s when nations are becoming
interdependent.
Our universities are
engaged in a reverse course as they are driving our nation
backward when others are seeking to move forward. The university
system in Nigeria is heading toward self destruction as we can
see that the university today is the highest institution
spreading "Educationally Transmitted Diseases (ETDs)" like
cultism, examination malpractices, sexual immorality,
corruption, selfishness, focus on certificate without knowledge,
kidnapping, bombing and all other ETDs in our society.
The university had the
original mandate to raise "Bachelors and Spinsters" as virgins
beautifully prepared with universal heart to inter marry with
others to create unified communities and nations. Today, our
universities award only "Bachelor degrees" without Spinster
degrees thereby institutionalizing discrimination against
womanhood as we have Masters Degrees without Mistress Degrees.
The degrees are awarded "in character and in learning" without a
curriculum on character education. What an institutional lie and
deceit.
However, we cannot allow
the university to fail, as this will lead to the collapse of the
entire system. As the highest institution of education today in
our nation, if the head is rotten, then be sure that all other
parts will be useless. The state of university education in
Nigeria today should be of great concern to all and we should be
more than ever be determined to work as much as we can to "Save
the Universities in Nigeria". There is so much to do about the
university education in Nigeria that we cannot finish easily but
I am aware that starting from issues of centralization of
policies and programs are the most elementary steps to take.
We need a New Vision for
Nigerian Universities where we need to re-examine the
administrative structure and academic programs, with issues like
creating National Universities Parliament which brings together
University Senators, Pro Chancellors and Chancellors as
lawmakers to strengthen the National Universities Executive
Leadership which comprises both VCs and Registrars as
stakeholders at the National Universities Commission.
On academic programs, we
need to harmonize the academic calendar for all universities
(Jan - March as 1st Trimester, April for holidays and
examination, May - July as 2nd trimester and August as 2nd
holiday and exams, with September - November as the 3rd
trimester and December as holidays and examinations). There are
a lot of issues that we need to re-examine.
I have desired in my
heart that we create a Higher Secondary school system where
first degrees are offered and with the university focusing more
on Masters/PhDs/Professorial programs which are at the moment
not organized at all. In this way, most of the graduates of
present UBE primary and secondary schools will be able to find
placements for first degree programs which should be the minimum
educational qualification for any viable citizen.
Many will agree that
this is a great idea, but whose time has not yet come.
Unfortunately, I was called to this realization since the last
decade of the 20th century and I have been groaning with pains
in my heart looking forward to when the time will come. Being
aware of the providence of restoration and the limited time to
save the universities, I am unable to wait any longer and as you
may have noted, I want to speak out strongly on these issues in
the days ahead. I believe that many Nigerians have been prepared
to advance this mission in their communities, their universities
and throughout the country.
I have launched the
Voice of Teachers radio show on Radio Nigeria Kapital FM in
Abuja as a platform to create awareness on this and other issues
facing our nation, and I am determined with the support of God
and my brothers and sisters in Nigeria to move this forward. We
cannot afford to allow the universities fail, as that will
amount to failing the millions of Nigerian youth that need
qualitative university education to meet the challenges of the
new millennium.
Finally, there is no
going back on this path that I have been called into. We must
reform and save the Nigerian university system as educators. We
must transform today's "universities within borders" to
"universities without borders" so that freedom of teaching,
learning and practicing can be realized. We need to empower
educators as e-teachers to facilitate e-learning. We need the
training and background
to clearly show that we have been prepared as champions of this
vision for a better university education system.
To transform the
Nigerian universities and save it from collapse, we need to
create the National Universities Graduation Examination Council
to centralize and coordinate all university graduation
examinations. We need to ensure that all universities become
open universities offering online, on-air and offline programs.
We need to create the National Universities Curriculum and
Syllabus as well as harmonize the educational calendar of all
universities. The administration of university education as it
is presently constituted need to be transformed. I envision a
new National Universities Commission with a bi-cameral
legislative arm (National Universities Parliament) which shall
bring together all university senators together to legislate for
qualitative university education.
The universities
curriculum need to be renewed and transformed in such a way that
our young people can be inspired with universal values and
skills as well as empowered professionally and connected to
information, each other and to resources. Our transformed
universities need to utilize the human and material resources at
our disposal as well as celebrate our accomplishments. More than
ever before the hour has come for the transformation and renewal
of university education in Nigeria. Even though much is needed
to be done in the university transformation agenda, we do not
need to fail in realizing that establishing a National
Universities Graduation Examination Council as well as creating
the harmonized university curriculum will provide us with the
platform to address the many challenges that Universities are
facing in Nigeria.
I have no doubt that
this is the age of transformation of universities in Nigeria to
be able to provide and facilitate the realization of quality
university education for all in Nigeria. By transforming
Nigerian universities, we shall witness a new era where all
qualified Nigerians having access to university education. Inter
university transfer as well as learning opportunities shall be
increased. Not only shall universities talk about education in
character but we need to see the National Universities Character
Education Curriculum formulated with needed teachers trained for
the program implementation. Both the administrative and academic
aspects of the universities need to be renewed and transformed
to meet the challenges of the 21st century and the
new millennium.
Dr. Raphael Ogar Oko is
the International Coordinator, Global Educators for All
Initiative and can be reached via
Raphael.oko@gmail.com
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