Analyst seeks repositioning of sector for optimal performance

A policy analyst, Mr Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu, has advocated prioritising, resetting and repositioning of the education sector for students to reach their full potential.

Mba-Uzoukwu, who is also the Managing Partner, GrandCentral Africa, stated this while delivering the 53rd convocation lecture of the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

At the lecture titled: “Finding the Boundaries of the Possible; Venturing Beyond,” Mba-Uzoukwu, who is also a pioneer in e-learning and a leading exponent in collaborative work/learning environments, said it was only by doing this that youths could achieve their destiny.

He further noted that there was a lot of work to be done if the potential of Nigerians and Nigeria, was to be realised within a generation.

He said: “History teaches us that every generation, faces a core challenge that it must overcome, if the next is not to face exponentially worse conditions.

“It should be expected that the change will be massively resisted in this post COVID-19 pandemic world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

“Exponential rewards, however, exists for those who dare to venture outside their comfort zones to explore the new ways.

“Purposeful, result-oriented, transformational leadership will therefore need to make smart choices about the options for doing more than just keeping the lights on, or making cosmetic changes to the status quo.”

He emphasised the need for tertiary institutions to shine the light by showing courage, bravery and doggedness to change the world.

Mba-Uzoukwu argued that if there was a single overarching variable in the equation for solving the key challenges before tertiary education system, it was transformational leadership.

He said there was also the need to deepen knowledge on how to apply modern day technology in imparting knowledge.

According to him, education should enable learners acquire the fundamental skills required to be participants in the 21st century fourth industrial revolution.

“The technology-driven 21st century features rapid, constant change, requiring a hitherto unprecedented agility in response to digital transformation,” he stated.

The policy analyst added that Nigeria must leverage the opportunities inherent in the pervasive use of technology in education to deliver learning at the point of need.

He also stated that such technology must be applied in capturing data on performance of role players within the system.

According to him, it will also strive to synthesise the data and gain valuable insight on how to continuously improve the system in the interest of the desired learning outcomes.

He urged institutions to lead the convening of a sustained national conversation where the outcome of such discussion would hopefully be to develop responses to such issues in the form of pragmatic programme of action.

Mba-Uzoukwu also emphasised the need to build a digital environment for collaboration.

He stated that to compete, all higher education institutions must offer and implement a vision and an information technology architecture designed especially for tertiary institutions to establish a relevant contemporary learning.

He also urged the management of UNILAG to take steps in celebrating excellence, especially as it concerned the physically challenged students who despite all odds, still show doggedness in attaining knowledge.