Being a Press Briefing
By
Senator Prof David Iornem
New Idea Management Consultants
Openlearning3000@yahoo.com
Monday August 19, 2013
Introduction
The human capital of a nation is its greatest asset. Agencies charged with developing and managing the human capital elements have a serious mandate. The national Universities Commission (NUC) is the key agency responsible for carrying out functions that will combine to produce quality human capital through the university system
Judging from the activities of the Commission and the crisis that is being experienced in the higher education sector, it is clear that we have a serious disaster on our hands which requires emergency actions of extraordinary manner if Nigeria is to pull the higher education sector out of the disaster.
Elements of Disaster in the Higher Education Sector
- Of 1, 700,000 persons with university entry qualifications seeking for places, only about 500,000 can find places in the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education put together who are the 1.3 million excluded. Whose children are excluded? It is most likely the children of the common man. But that is not the issue. The disaster gargantuan proportions is that 1.2 million young Nigerian have doors officially shut against their hopes and aspirations. More disastrous is the fact that officials of the agencies that are to chart a practical vision that will lead to making young Nigerians to actualize their potential do not care. They do not have a vision to change this disaster.
- Lack of capacity of the National Universities Commission (NUC) to deal decisively with the situation. Right inside the Commission itself, the Executive Secretary is accused of arrogance, lack of delegation, management by trikes and other traits of bad management. For instance, he is fond of often fixing four or five meetings at the same time of which he is the chairman of all. He would then be hopping from ne meeting to the other spending ten or so minutes in the various committees several times. He does this because he thinks he is indispensable, he thinks only he knows, he thinks he knows everything. This is a disaster case in management.
- There is system collapse. There are brazen cases of corruption at the highest level including especially the National Universities Commission (NUC).
- There is system malfunction evidenced by the length of time it takes to complete a 4-year degree programme. It takes 7 – 8 years on the average.
- Extremely bad quality of graduates, some of who cannot write one correct sentence.
- In today’s age, Nigeria is graduating people who do not know anything ICT. This is a disaster of greater dimension, is the disaster of the existence university teachers in our tertiary institutions today wh are not computer literate.
10 Point agenda to Transform the Higher Education Sector
- Declaration of a State of Emergency in the Higher Education Sectors.
a. Constitution of a high-power Commission with wide powers to reform the higher education sector.
b. The Emergency Commission should have representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, all the states of the Federation, Academic Staff Unions, Non-Academic Staff Unions, Employers Association, Manufacturers Association, Professional Institutes, Labour Unions, Ambassadors of goodwill from other countries, etc.
- Radical Expansion of the Carrying Capacity in the Tertiary Education Sector.
a. Use the UK and Ghanaian model of small university colleges operating alongside bigger universities.
b. Invite local and foreign entrepreneurs to invest.
c. Regulatory Framework to allow and encourage genuine private sector participation especially small scale entrepreneurs in the education sector to boost investment in education.
d. Make the National Open University a truly open university not another classroom-based study centres.
- Adequate Budget:
Federal Government should lead the way by providing adequate per capital votes for education generally and for the tertiary education.
4. Computer Literacy for Lecturers & Students
This may sound basic, but it is a fact that there are many Nigerian University teachers who are afraid of touching the computer. So, we have computer illiterate lectures in Nigerian universities today in a world that is ICT-driven. It is also true that we in Nigeria are graduating degree students today who are computer illiterate. It cannot happen in Ghana, talk less of Europe and the USA. Nigeria can never aspire to make the list of top 2000 world universities with this state of affairs.
5. Framework of Accountability of Higher Education Agencies
Agencies created by the Constitution of the Federal Republic have mandates which they are expected to execute on behalf of the people. Most times, like it is happening with the NUC officials, adopt arrogant and selfish attitude, taking the law into their hands, misusing public funds and colluding with others to deceive the ordinary Nigerian. Agencies are supposed to be accountable for areas of their mandate.
6. Massive Infrastructure Upgrading
Buildings, laboratories, roads, hostels in our universities are an eye sore: students shit in “leather bags” and newspapers and throw to the backyard through the window. The NUC which is supposed to fight for budget expansion to enable universities develop instead engages in antics that keep budget money away from universities. Budgets should be spent by the people closest to the problem/project.
7. Budget Monitoring Framework
It is estimated that between 70 to 80% of budget funds are stolen in this country. Sometimes, even 100% is stolen when preparing budgets and vouchers are simply made out and moneys paid out. There is need for a Budget Monitoring System to be put in place because large scale investment in higher education is envisaged for this State of Emergency being proposed for the higher education sector
8. Discipline and Ombuds Person System
There is a higher level of arrogance and impunity in the higher education sector and students and sponsors are helpless when they are faced with difficult situations. A lecturer can sexually harass a student and there is nowhere to go and report. The higher education system must be sanitised. The ombuds system must be in place at Faculty, University and Ministry levels to curb corruption and impunity.
10. Bringing Credibility to the Accreditation System
The NUC has failed to live up to accreditation. The NUC Accreditation process is corrupted by bad elements who are accused of selling the process and turning a blind eye to lapses. It is time we opened up the accreditation of programmes to independent non-governmental agencies as well. This will encourage competition and instil discipline among accrediting agencies. We have templates in the USA that we can benchmark. This country is big enough to have regional independent accreditation boards like we have in the USA.
11. Creation of the Ministry of Life-Long Learning
Life-long learning is a must in this age of fast technological changes coupled with the need to have multi-skills to tackle job and and life related tasks. Many countries like Japan and the United Kingdom have seen the need for this and have created appropriate structures to deal with it. In the reforms that are envisaged in this Emergency actions in the higher education, a golden opportunity will be created to key into this concept and introduce it for the betterment of the life of Nigerians |
