The
media often celebrate the impressive performance of Nigerians who
graduate with a first-class degree from a university in Europe or
America. It has almost become a trend and does not generate any
surprising buzz, as it is almost certain that a Nigerian schooling in a
foreign university is likely to come out on top. Unfortunately, this has
not translated into putting Nigerian universities at the top.
According to the 2015 ranking of universities in the world by
webometrics, no Nigerian university made the top 1,000, and only one
made the top twenty in Africa.
The position of Nigerian universities in the world is disheartening
for a country whose citizens blaze the trail outside the shores of the
country. There are so many reasons why this is paradoxically true.
We
explore five reasons why this is so.
Structure/ System
The Nigerian higher institutions have a very bizarre system that is
not only archaic but kills the morale of its students. A good Nigerian
university is supposed to be ‘tough’ and almost torturous. The students
can beat their chest and brag that they have the fewest first class
graduates and the more a university awards first- class degrees, the
less serious people see it. Lecturers and administrators therefore put
students through draconian processes like conducting impromptu tests
late in the evening or deducting marks for offences whether necessary or
not. Students are expected to write exams in any condition even in the
hospital if a student is ill. Woe betides any student that calls for a
remark of an exam script even if he/she feels the score should have been
more. The effect is that some students become uninspired and
uninterested in the whole system.
Strike
Most students, especially those in the government owned institutions
are only aware of the month and year of their matriculation but cannot
predict when they’ll put on the academic gown for convocation. This is
because of the strike that results in an epileptic academic system. If
the Academic Staff Union of Universities is not embarking on an
indefinite strike, it is likely to be the Non-Academic Staff Union. The
Students’ Union too sees the strike action as a first step rather than a
last resort to express their dissatisfaction to the school. The
occasionally interrupted academic system will no doubt affect the
progress of the students and the institution in the long run. An
academic calendar that is planned to run a semester for three months but
endures a three month strike in between will consequently have an
adverse effect on the student and cripple the academic system.
Corruption
Corruption is like a virus or disease that if allowed to thrive has
the ability to wreck a whole system down. Students in Nigeria tertiary
institutions sometimes have to pay their way into security and
sustaining their admission. After paying to secure the minimum five
credits in the SSCE requirement, some candidates pay and cheat to pass
JAMB examination and eventually do the same during the post UTME
screening exercise. The culture continues when compulsory textbooks are
impediments to getting good grades. Stories are abound about higher
institutions in Nigeria where if a student doesn’t purchase a textbook
published or marketed by the lecturer in change of a particular course,
the student’s chances of getting good grades are slim even if his
performance academically is impressive. The adverse effect of this is
that students become uninspired knowing that paying a lecturer increases
the chances of obtaining A’s rather than dedication to studying.
To make matters worse, there are no checks and balances in place to
monitor and prevent these corrupt practices. To report these activities
to the so called “Division of Students Affairs” is to risk being singled
out for victimisation by other lecturers.
Still examining the issue of corruption is the practice of absorbing
more students than what a school can cater for. If a department has
facilities that can only accommodate 500 students but out of greed
admits 5000 students, it is clear that none of the students will be able
to benefit from the facilities which will inadequately affect the
development of the institution.
Funding
An institution that wants to be relevant must always be in tune with
global development. Laboratories, libraries, equipment, facilities and
other factors that contribute to academic development must always be
updated. This can only be achieved if the institutions receive adequate
funding. Unfortunately Nigerian tertiary institutions still use
facilities that have been abandoned decades ago in other universities in
Europe. This backward practice is a result of inadequate funding of the
institutions. While the national assembly and other political offices
are lavished with funds, the education budget is pityingly low for
Nigerian universities. To be able to compete with international ones at
the top, they must not be bereaved of funding.
School-Society connection
Nigerian institutions operate at isolated realms that totally
disconnect them from the society that they exist in. When students
graduate from these institutions, they are thrust out into a ‘foreign
world’ like a fish out of water and therefore find it difficult to
operate. Institutions must always connect with the society so that the
transition from the tertiary institution to the work place should be
seamless. Both the school and the society will suffer when students are
not exposed to the practical society. It is saddening to see students of
Mass Communication. Building, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical
Engineering and all other courses spend all their times in the lecture
hall as if they will not be expected to apply this knowledge into
practice. Students must begin to feel a sense of professionalism right
from their first year in tertiary institution. This allows the school to
eliminate vague and out-dated ideas from the academic system which will
also allow the institution to be authorities in research and practice.
No comments:
Post a Comment