This week began with a book on the defunct National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and how it crashed out of history. but the wisdom in certain circles is that the crash of NANS was the rise of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Well, ASUU itself appears to be exhausted and might be crashing out too if we take the “noise” level recently. All of these tend to point at a national university sicker than the global average. Starting with this piece by a player in the system, we take four evidences of what might be happening over there, including the one from the continental level.
That is the only theme in focus at Intervention today, meaning that, once again, readers should please not send in articles for publication. There is nobody on ground to prepare such materials for publication at the moment. The occasional outings by the platform does not indicate to the contrary beyond mere discretionary fireworks!
By Prof Hassan A. Saliu
The state of our universities is indeed a pressing concern. While some lecturers may be culpable, it’s unfair to hold them entirely responsible for the ills plaguing our institutions. The governance system in our universities plays a significant role in the decay, erosion of culture and tradition, and wayward behaviour of some of our colleagues.
Transparency, openness, predictability, integrity, credibility, honesty, and accountability seem to be lacking in many of our campuses. Some Vice-Chancellors often find themselves uncertain about how to address certain issues due to their limited understanding of standard governance practices.
It’s essential to shine a light on the governance system and hold it accountable for the dwindling image of our universities. The recent directives given by the Minister of Education, Dr. Alausa, to the Federal Vice-Chancellors are a step in the right direction, but their scope should be broadened to restore our ivory towers to their former glory.
Rather than blaming individual lecturers, we should focus on reforming the governance system. By doing so, we can create a more conducive environment for learning and teaching, and ultimately, restore the reputation of our universities.
