A professor of Medical Microbiology and former Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Tolu Odugbemi, has urged management and heads of institutions to ensure that policies, rules, and regulations are adhered to in administering the nation’s universities.
Speaking at the public presentation of a book, titled: ‘A Practical Approach to Contemporary Tertiary Education Management in Nigeria,’ emphasised the need for education managers to embrace merit and shun mediocrity.
Odugbemi said: “Merit should take the lead over mediocrity, education managers should avoid playing to the gallery, shun ethnicity and all forms of discriminatory tendencies. We need to focus on good education and gainful employment for our youths for a better today and tomorrow. This is not only for our youths, but for a peaceful, orderly, and secured society for the benefit of all.”
He also called for a total change of mindset, saying this is the right time to care for one another, support the weak and be more productive.
On her part, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Folashade Ogunsola, said the changing dynamics in the Nigerian education system require a strategic approach.
Ogunsola noted that there is a rapidity in education and knowledge, and efforts should be made to harness them.
“We need the engine oil of education, which is the administrative aspect, to ensure that we properly capture and master the new changes that are coming,”
The book reviewer, Prof. Duro Oni, described the book as a practical approach to development and management of tertiary education in Nigeria, while also addressing issues of recruitment, academic standards, quality assurance and ethics.”
Oni, who is also a former President of Nigeria Academy of Letters (NAL), added that to bridge funding gaps, there must be conscious efforts to raise funds from outside the systems.
“Whether we like it or not, there are problems with tertiary education; even if you want to start a university, you must understand what the dynamics are. Tertiary institutions should leverage the alumni system,” Oni said.
He described the exemption of tertiary institutions from the controversial Integrated Payment and Payroll System (IPPIS) as the best thing the Federal Government has done for the varsities.
