University system in Nigeria has collapsed – Osundare

ERUDITE scholar and social critic, Professor Niyi Osundare, has said the university system in Nigeria has totally collapsed, blaming the government and all stakeholders including university dons, for the crumpling.

Osundare, who disclosed this, on Tuesday, in Ibadan, at a symposium organised by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan chapter, entitled 'Africa and the 21st Century University,' decried what he described as disrepect of education by the Federal Government.

While equally holding the university community responsible for what he called poor administration, lack of qualitative teaching and absence of teacher-student relationship, Osundare called for a total overhaul of the education system, adding that all the seven-point agenda of the government would amount to nothing without solid education.

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Also delivering an address at the symposium, Professor Kassey Garba said the Federal Government had shown lack of respect for universities in Nigeria through poor funding, intrusion in and manipulation of their administrations, as well as poor attitudes to all the problems besetting the ivory towers.

Garba, who highlighted creativity, restructuring of curriculum to meet present challenges, utilisation of system-produced human resources, effectiveness of information and communication technology in the system, as well as dynamic relationships between teachers and students as hallmarks of 21st century universities, however, lamented that Nigerian universities lacked all that could make them 21st century universities.

In his speech, the Dean of the Faculty of Technology, Professor Ayo Oluleye, urged stakeholders in Nigerian education to be innovative and more productive Nigerians as these would solve our problems.

                                             By Joseph Ajayi