From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Dean, Postgraduate Studies, Baze University, Abuja, Prof Abiodun Adeniyi, has proposed increased funding for tertiary institutions and better renumeration for teachers, in the country.
Adeniyi, reminded the Federal Government that most Nigerians who are not opportune to school abroad would continue to wallow in ignorance and be stagnated without quality education.
He spoke yesterday at the 16th anniversary of National Waves Newspapers yesterday in Abuja with the theme: ‘Elevating Nigerian Tertiary Education: Competing with Global Institution.’
According to him, poor funding of Nigerian universities has given birth to the demotivation of staff; infestation of the academic space by ills of the town, like corruption, nepotism and favouritism.
It appears simple to also proffer solutions to this problem, by asking for increased funding, provision of more facilities, greater exposure to learning resources, better staff training and re-orientation, and others, but these cannot be done if there is a lack of understanding of the role of the sector.
First, we live in a clime with little regard for merit. We are guided by connectionism and a neo patrimonial culture where who you are and who you know are pedestals to securing opportunities from the state and capturing the same for the self, family and associates.
Second, the educated is easily disregarded as a “grammar person” especially where money is supposed to speak, literarily. It relates more to the prevalent culture of having money, more money and much more money for the gates of heaven to be open. Third, competence and ability that easily emanate from education are undermined for origin, region, zone, fatherhood, motherhood, sisterhood, brotherhood, and “other hoods”, amongst other things.
With this as the case, the state through the instrument of political leaders is often ready to be negligent, considering how distanced the system is from the ideal.
He posited: “When the educated are undermined by the uneducated, it becomes impossible for the governance process to be managed in favour of the process that is responsible for the production of the educated.
“Dale Carnegie once said “The only disability in life is a bad attitude” The attitude this time is the one towards our education. Do we not, therefore, need an attitudinal change in this regard?
“Attempting direct comparisons with the practice in developed climes might be unfair, if not shocking. In these climes, facilities and infrastructures are top-notch and constantly updated.
“Resources are up-to-date and are easily accessible. Teachers are well renumerated with living wages and can hardly be tempted, ensuring the constant pursuit of glory and honour, instead of material things through crooked and cheap means.
“The institutions are thriving holding all other elements in strong positions to back the subtle process of teaching and learning. Disciple, focus, and goal orientation are also higher, which also engenders creativity and resourcefulness.
“Their governments are constantly supportive, budgeting huge sums for education, while the vibrant private sector is not also left out with many investing in education, endowing chairs, sponsoring research and innovation and driving change. Are we therefore ready to compete?
“Why not if we fund our tertiary education better, encourage teachers, provide facilities, grow our institutions, create a conducive learning and teaching environment and ensure improve accountability in lecturer/student relationship?”
Meanwhile, Publisher of National Waves, Jimmy Enyeh, charged journalists to hold political officers accountable especially in ensuring that adequate funding is provided to boost education.
Enyeh said: “We must through our reportage, editorials and analyses force our leaders to do the right thing, we should continue to hold them to account, we must not relent in persuading them to respect the sanctity of the social contract, and the will of the electorate on behalf of who they hold power in trust.
“This democracy must be encouraged to be internally and externally democratic.
We should also encourage credible opposition, for as the celebrated Palestinian- American scholar Edward Said had noted, “the power to narrate and to prevent other narrations from forming and emerging is common between dictatorship and underdevelopment, and constitutes the main connection between them.”
“We must persuade the current power elite in the power loop to allow credible opposition. Let a thousand flowers bloom, this is what democracy is all about.”
