The Vice Chancellor of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, (ESUT), Enugu, Prof. Aloysius-Michaels Okolie, has bemoaned what he regarded as “invasion of Nigerian public universities by political scavengers.”
Okolie stated that the invasion would further deplete the meagre resources accruing to the universities and equally decimate the values and principles of productive learning across public tertiary institutions in the country.
He said this on Friday while delivering the maiden convocation lecture of the Hezekiah University, Umudi, Imo State on the topic ‘’Paradigm Shift, Soliloquy and Fungibility of Stemming the Tide of Education Lullaby in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria: Opportunities Missed and Paths not Taken.’’
He said that the infestation of political actors in the education sector is manifested through the proliferation of Acting Vice Chancellors in most public universities, adding that it represents a symptom of failed education policies and manifests deepening and widening scope of what he called “policy soliloquy and lullaby.”
The Vice Chancellor bemoaned the foisting of political actors who are not technically equipped to manage the education sector, insisting that it has been the reason for consistent policy failures in the sector over the years.
He called for the summit of major stakeholders in order to appraise the debilitating factors and chart a new beginning for tertiary education in Nigeria, adding that the curriculum should be deregulated to promote regional specialties and hence, allow tertiary institutions the autonomy of studying what is needed and relevant to the local population.
He queried why funds budgeted for running tertiary institutions were diminishing even as there are increasing number of tertiary institutions in the country.
While stating the need to invest more in education sector in Nigeria, he said that, “The salience of education as a tool for unlocking knowledge, imbuing relevant and creative skills, generating positive inner motivations for change and unleashing critical conditions for human capital transmutations; and as well creating conditions for productive education for managing the environment and preserving such for future generations cannot be underestimated.
“Among others, education is an essential tool for achieving sustainability. Education at all levels can shape the world of tomorrow, equipping individuals and societies with skills, perspectives, knowledge and values to live and work in a sustainable manner,” he said.
