Autonomy, solution to varsity education instability in Nigeria - ACU Registrar

Mrs. Josephin Oyebanji, Registrar, ACUMrs. Josephine Oyebanji is the Registrar, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo. In this interview with Kehinde Adio, she speaks about unversity administration in Nigeria, among other issues. Excerpts..

WHAT is the roles of Registrar in University Management?
The Registrar, under the law setting up the university is responsible to the Vice-Chancellor for the day to day running of the university. He or She is also the Secretary to council, senate, Congregation and Convocation, all which are vital organs of the university; and the head of the Registry. He or she is the Chief Administrative Officer of the university and a member of the Management.

Is there any difference between Public and Private university management?
No difference in management. In governance the only difference is that in the Public University the Federal Government is the Proprietor and the President, the visitor, while in a Private the Founder is the Proprietor and the Board of Trustees the visitor. In a private university like a public one, you have a chancellor who is the chairman of convocation; pro-chancellor who is the chairman of Council; council; vice-chancellor; senate and other important organs such as convocation, congregation all which contribute to the smooth running of the universities. The committee system is also common to all universities. The only major difference is the source of funding.

While public universities receive most of their operational funds from government and is therefore expected not to charge tuition, private universities are funded by their founders and are licensed to charge tuition.

What is your comment about Post JAMB Test?
Post JAMB test is desirable. It is to further sift the grains from the chaff. You see it is not everyone who ‘passes’ the UME that is a university material. Many of them engage dubious means to obtain pass marks. A simple aptitude test and oral interview would go a long way to help universities determine those they consider to be suitable for university education, i.e. those who could benefit from university education.

Should JAMB hands off admission process?
It is not as simple as that. Jamb was set up by the Law of our country. So you cannot just wish it away. Also JAMB is performing the essential role, among others, of setting and administering examination towards ensuring high standard intakes for our universities. It is necessary to note that JAMB does not admit for universities. The Senate of each University admits for the university while JAMB only co-ordinates and moderates the process of admission to ensure that the admissions into universities comply with policies set by the Federal Government towards

How do you think Public University can attain autonomy in its management?
Public Universities cannot attain autonomy of its management unless the law establishing them allows it. There has been a move in that direction for more than a decade with a Bill for university autonomy that is still under consideration. The Bill, however, is yet to be passed. When it is passed, public universities will be able to attain autonomy. But with autonomy, the parent must be prepared to start paying tuition to send their children to public universities, unless there is private intervention in form of endowments. The main issue that autonomy will generate is therefore funding.

What is the solution to academic instability in higher institution?
Autonomy. If each university is free to run its affairs, it will be in a better position to manage its staff and students matters,

In your own opinion do you think the awaiting result should still obtain JAMB form. Why not people with required result.

I think students awaiting result should obtain JAMB forms. There is no need to make bright students wait at home for a whole year. The devil always finds work for idle hand. With more universities now on ground, the issue of not securing admission for lack of space no longer arises.

What is the Secret of your University since start-up without any problems of closure?
Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo is founded on the Solid Rock which is Christ. It is a project of faith and God has been with the university right from when the idea of founding the university was conceived until now. We owe a lot to God Almighty who raised up great men and women as members of the Implemen-tation Committee.

With such quality men/women who have distinguished themselves in their various professions and callings, the University could not but take-off well. Since it took-off the Proprietor, members of the Board of Trustees and Council have been highly supportive of the Management and have inspired everyone in the University i.e. both staff and students to be committed and focused. The University also enjoys the good-leadership of a Vice-Chancellor, who is very sensitive to the welfare of staff and students. His pro-active and dynamic style of administration has helped in dealing with various challenges that cannot but come with starting a new university. We have been able to manage the human and material resources at our disposal very well and we thank God that we are now in the third year and a year from the end of this session we shall be graduating our first set of students right on schedule. What the University is today is by the grace of God and the collective effort of all the stakeholders.

What do you want the Public to know about Ajayi Crowther University?
The university started operations in January 7, 2006, having been approved by the Federal Government on January 7, 2005. It was founded by the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) Supra Diocesan Board West. The St. Andrews College old Boys Association (SACOBA) also played an important role in founding the university. As I have already said the university is blessed with distinguished Nigerians from the church, the academia, the business world among them are

Prof. Emeritus O. O. Akinkugbe, Prof. Emeritus Ayo Banjo, Pro-Chancellor, Chief Gbolahan Folayan, Chief Ernest Shonekan, Mrs. Ivie Ejiwumi, Prof. O. O. Osunbo, Chief Bode Amoo Members of the Governing Council include Prof. Emeritus Ayo Banjo, Pro-Chancellor and chairman,Prof. Olajire Olaniran, vice-chancellor, Chief Dr. Olusegun Osunkeye, Prof. Adeniyi Osuntogun, Chief M. A. Aderiye, Mr. Goodie Ibru, Mr. Oluwatoyin Okeowo, Rt. Revd. G. I. Olajide, Rt. Revd. (Dr.) Peter Adebiyi, Revd. E. A. Awosoga, Rt. Revd. (Prof) Bayo Akinde, Prof. Emeritus Ayo Bamgbose, Prof. Bolanle Awe, Hon. Justice B. O. Ogunade, Prof. S. A. Ilori, Prof. B. O. Oloruntimehin, Prof. T. O. Adewoye, Dr. Mrs. Josephine Oyebanji.

The university has 3 Faculties namely, Humanities, Social and Management Sciences and Natural Sciences.

Between the 3 faculties there are 11 Departments and 17 Academic programmes. All but one of the Departments have Professors as Heads of Departments.

Physical and academic development in the university has been very rapid. For instance there were only 17 academic staff when the university took off in 2006 and 24 non-teaching staff. Today we have 66 academic staff and 57 non-teaching staff. The population of students has also increased from 306 in 2006 to 1,453 in 2008.

The university has been able to put in place infrastructure that more than sufficiently meets its needs. These include state of the art Faculty Buildings, Mass Communication Studio, a university Library which includes a virtual library, Hostels, Science Laboratories, well furnished staff offices, etc. The construction of a 1,200 sitting capacity Library donated by General T. Y. Danjuma Rtd. is in progress.

Ajayi Crowther University has indeed made a giant leap in the past two years. Our aim is to catch up with the universities who had had a head start and overtake them and become nationally and internationally recognized.

Do you support the idea of decentralization of ASUU?
I am for anything and everything that will make the university system in Nigeria highly competitive world-wide. Time it was that products of Nigerian universities were not subjected to extra training by employers, or rejected abroad for postgraduates studies. In my opinion as a parent and Nigerian, less emphasis should be placed on unionism and more emphasis on quality teaching and research for a better Nigeria. The government should on its own side be pro-active and pay adequate attention to the needs of all its employees and not wait for them to agitate for their welfare. A happy and satisfied employee will be motivated to work better for his/her employer. In the final analysis the employer will be the better for it.

Standard of education not falling - Provost, FCE, Osiele

Dr. Olakunle Filani, Osiele Provost Dr. Olakunle Filani, Provost, Federal College of Education, Osiele, Ogun State recently had a chat with some journalists on state of affairs in his college as well as other education issues. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, who was there, reports. Excerpts.

Congratulations on your appointment for second term. What were your achievements in the last four years and what do you intend to do in the next four years?
Thank you very much. Well, in terms of achievement, I will say it is a collective achievement not personal because we have a kind of hierarchy. I have the council, though now dissolved, there was the management as well as other structures that we work together in the college and I want to thank God that in the past four years we have been able to do a number of functional things in the college.

We are also sure of the fact that we are the only college of education in the state today because the State College of Education has been converted to a University of Education and it behoves on us that we must ensure that the standard of academic excellence does not fall and how do we sustain it? Graciously, the Federal Government has increased the personnel cost and capital grant, we also have MDG funding, we have the ETF grant and these are quite enormous money that if properly used will enable us to create a conducive environment for students to learn and that is what we have been doing. We were lucky with the type of council we had, they were very good in terms of supervising and ensuring that projects were completed in time and we also in the college, we ensure that the academic standard is not falling. I think, the major thing we did was to motivate our staff because where staff are not motivated, they cannot give their best. Motivating staff and students, to increase and equip their welfare and you will begin to see that they become more responsive to their duties and even do things that normally would not have been done if they were not properly motivated and with that we see staff giving their best to teach and to serve in whatever capacity even as non academic staff and at the end of the day, the students are responding and we are seeing that in our infrastructure. You can see the neatness of the college, you can see the number of buildings that are springing up, the ones we have completed, we are equipping the laboratories and workshops, classrooms and we are making our students to be disciplined and they are now responding to their duties. I think that is the number of achievements we can say we have attained in the past four years and of course, in the next four years by the grace of God, we will witness an improvement on all we have done so far.

It will be my pleasure that ultimately, this college will be a degree awarding institution because we have been fighting for that. We are sure we have enough manpower to facilitate that. The Federal Ministry of Education as well as the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) is talking with National University Commission (NUC). With the size of our college, we have 632 hectares of land which we cannot develop in the next 15 years. But with the funding of the Federal Government coming in, we are sure that we can make this place a citadel of learning for education and I believe that when the next set of approval will be given, this college will be granted a degree-awarding status because we have qualified staff and we also have a conducive environment.

Looking at the standard of education in the country today, as a trainer of trainers, what are you doing now to raise the standard?
I think the standard is no longer falling. Yes, maybe because in the last six, seven, eight years now, the crusade has been on. Now we have been accelerating in terms of up grading the standard and quality of teaching in Nigerian institutions. This is premised mainly on the fact that the Federal Government is very conscious of this and they have realized that there is the need to pump more money in the educational sector and even though we are yet to meet the UNESCO standard because of the competitive demands; the UNESCO standard says that 26 per cent of the budget should be allocated to education. But we are happy that tremendous increase has been granted to us in both personnel and capital budgeting which to a large extent facilitated the motivation for staff because we are now collecting our salaries as when due, salary has been increased on a number of occasions and more importantly, we have capital grants to also cope with equipping of our laboratories for science, classrooms and what have you and also provide infrastructure, which students can use. By and large there is a better conducive environment for teaching and learning in our Nigerian tertiary institutions today and with that motivation and consciousness, staff will also improve the quality of teaching. Then you will see that we have been accelerating in terms of progress and in meeting the standard.

Is your institution autonomous?
Yes……. the issue of autonomy depends on who funds, because at the end of the day he who pays the piper dictates the tune, but let me tell you that a measure of autonomy has been established anyway, because we are a Federal College of Education that is, we are on our own in the sense that we can admit students, we can employ lecturers and terminate their appointment if they misbehave. But in terms of the minimum standard that we are operating as well a the general supervision, we are still responsible to the ministry of education through National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and to a large extent, the real freedom can be experienced in the academic environment where lecturers are free to conduct their research and express themselves positively is being allowed but financial independence cannot be said to be total because we are still dependent on the Federal Government.

What advice do you have for the students, especially, the new ones?
Yes, to our matriculating students, it is important to make them realize that this is a teacher education institution and we lay emphasis on moulding not only for learning but in character. You see, it is important for us to realize that the people we are training are the leaders of tomorrow and leadership goes beyond academics. It is a moral burden that the teachers are carrying and we must ensure that the children we are going to teach should look at themselves as the leaders of tomorrow, jettison issues that are anti-social and eventually be able to stand as a person who can lift up the glory of Nigeria as a whole and that is what we are representing.

On our own part, we are very sure, since we have been committed to it, that what we only need to do is to ensure that we discipline them to ensure that we create a conducive atmosphere for learning and teaching and at the end of the day, they will imbibe that culture and creativity that can assist them in developing the country.

What can you say about the havoc that a recent downpour caused on your campus?
The rain storm of that Thursday night destroyed many structures in the college. You know it was about the first rain in the year. It came with a lot of wind. Unfortunately, it really affected the Federal College of Education Osiele, Abeokuta. The new Library Extension had its roof blown off, the three students hostels were also affected. Halls I, II and III also had their roofs blown off. Our lecture theater under construction was also blown off, even the new students hostel, that is nearing completion also had part of its roof blown off.

Also our cyber café at the School of Science Building collapsed, the V-Sat also fell on top of the building, damaging it tremendously. These are the major things and of course we have other ones like the trees falling on PHCN polls and thereby falling the polls and these have kept us in darkness. Even though we have restored the light now.

It was a natural disaster anyway but we were not planning for it and the cost implication is quite enormous. We have been trying to gather the materials to know how much it will cost us to salvage the situation, especially when most of them are relating to what the students will use. The hostel accommodation, the cyber café, that is ICT-powered, these are the things we must take prompt action to restore for the benefit of our students. I want you to note the fact that this college is the oldest tertiary institution in Ogun State.

That has proved the fact that we have a lot of buildings that are becoming old and ancient and require enormous maintenance. We appreciate the fact that the Federal Government through the capital grant and some other government organs like the Education Trust Fund have been doing tremendously well for us, but what we are focusing on is actually to increase the infrastructure because of the population of the students. Remember that this is the only college of education in Ogun State because Tai Solarin College of education has been converted to a University of Education. So we have quite a lot of applicants and we are only trying to admit based on the capacity we have and to be honest with you, my students are in session.

So we want to use this opportunity to appeal to the good people of Ogun state. We believe that if it is put in mind that this is a historical college, being the first tertiary institution in the state, philanthropists and good intentioned individuals can assist the college by what ever relief they can give to us and of course we have to appeal to the state government. To be honest with you, the state government in the recent past has been doing a lot. Even the hostel that got blown off by the wind storm, the Ogun State government renovated it about two and a half years ago during the Gateway Games. It was a massive renovation. So we praise them, we salute them for the many good things they have been doing for us, despite the fact that we are a federal institution but we are also going to appeal to them because the capacity of the renovation is beyond us.