Rethink 21st Century Varsities for creativity, innovation-Ex UNILAG VC, Ogundipe

Immediate past Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has emphasised the need to rethink the 21st century universities, to enable them become power houses of creativity and innovation.

Prof. Ogundipe stated this while delivering a physical/virtual lecture at the Heroes Day Ceremony of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Usmanu Danfodiyo University (UDU) branch Sokoto on Wednesday.

The occasion which was to honour retired members was also a valedictory lecture in honour of the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Prof. Lawal Suleiman Bilbis.

The theme of the lecture is: University Governance and Traditions in Nigeria; Issues, Challenges and Prospects.

According to him, managements of universities across the country must step up efforts in seeking ways to strengthen the operations of these institutions, to be better prepared for the fundamental changes that are constantly taking place.

He noted that universities have proven throughout their long history, their ability to change and adapt to cope with new situations and new challenges.

“Universities must move away from classroom teaching to consolidated groups of students, which has become the most common type of university teaching in a time of democratization and the rapidly growing numbers of students.

“Instead, the universities must create a learning environment that challenges and optimizes the opportunities for individual study paths. This not only suggests the addition of some student counsellors; it asks for a complete rethinking of the internal organization of the university.

“The old model of faculties and departments is no longer appropriate to cope with these new challenges. Universities must seek means of strengthening their capacity from within,” he said.

The don added that they have always been able to profit from the availability of people, who have the capacity to make almost any system work.

He further noted that the variety of university structures, regulations, financing systems and university governance systems around the world was accordingly, surprisingly large, reflecting the specific historical, cultural and geographical conditions and developments.

“Some differences, however, are of the utmost importance for successful policies and strategies, as well as for any effective management of universities in this new era.

“So, what is important when we want to improve the governance and modes of operations of universities?

“Given the talent, energy and commitment that is concentrated in our universities, how can these valuable human resources be applied in the most optimal manner?,” he queried.

Prof Ogundipe explained that a major trend in higher education was the trend toward diversification.

According to him, this includes the development of more non-university (or non-academic), vocationally oriented higher education programmes, such as previously provided by the polytechnics in England and currently by the German Fachhochschulen and the Hogescholen in the Netherlands.

He noted that this included as well, programmes for Open and Distance learning, as well as programmes for non-traditional students from various age groups, combining working and studying.

“The watershed decision is to grant universities the status of autonomous, semi-independent, individual legal entities. Only if this is the case, does it become possible to award them full responsibility for their long-term commitments in finance, housing, equipment and personnel.

“In connection with this, it is important to create an adequate distance between the ministry and the university, for instance by introducing a board of trustees, with highly qualified and dedicated representatives of the society, not holding political positions.

“Such boards of trustees should, however, keep distance from the internal affairs of the university and should focus instead on issues like sound management, quality and access and they should not be politicized.

“Universities are increasingly in competition with each other, but this should not let them forget their inherent complementarity and joint responsibility for high level study programmes, research and service to society. They should not forget their joint responsibility, in particular, for younger generations.

“To regulate competition and to improve their joint performance, it is important to work together in a strong intermediary organization, which can perform important tasks in shared responsibility.

“Responsibility strengthens the quality of governance, as well as of the people prepared to play a role in that governance and vice versa. For the university to operate in a more mature and entrepreneurial way, it is necessary to have a clear picture of the medium-term financial framework in which the university has to operate,” he said.

The UNILAG 10th vice chancellor added that it had to be clear how large the contribution of government would be by approximation, over the next years and for what functions.

He said it was also to be clear, what sources of additional income the university may tap from, within its own responsibility, in particular, in cooperation with the private sector.

According to him, this implies the right to shift funding from one year to the next and to create financial provisions for specific purposes in the medium term, as well as the right to use money freely within the framework of the properly approved budget, without being restricted by governmental financial rules related to the variables in the formula on which the lump-sum contribution to the university was decided.

He added that this also included the right to develop profitable contract activities and to use the income freely without any consequence for the lump sum granted to the university on the basis of its primary activities (research and teaching).

Prof Ogundipe noted that a more entrepreneurial behaviour of universities was impossible under conditions where the staffing table, as well as the major applications, had to be approved and the labour conditions, negotiated by government with the trade unions.

“Universities need a very flexible personnel policy, which promotes and rewards commitment and quality, not just seniority. The strict personnel policy rules of the traditional civil service do not contribute to the best results. Inputs in the financial formula for deciding the lump-sum budget of the university can also be based on ideal-type personnel formations in different disciplinary areas.

“It is clear that in the name of such modern, flexible, personnel management, academic freedom may not be threatened. It may also be clear, however, that ill- conceived interpretations of academic freedom should not make the proper organization of the university and its programmes impossible.

“The balance needed in truly academic personnel management, promoting commitment and quality as well as originality and creativity, requires tailor-made regulations for which universities themselves must take responsibility.

“For more entrepreneurial and responsible university governance systems, more control over labour conditions and personnel management is absolutely essential and in order to induce a more efficient use of buildings and equipment, the university itself must be responsible for investment, maintenance and renewal and have full ownership of their physical facilities, as has been the case in the Netherlands since 1995,” he said.

He added that there was also the need for a clear matrix structure of disciplines on the one side and study and research programmes on the other, with clear assignment of tasks and responsibilities.

According to him, the multidisciplinary study and research programmes, however, must be established for limited time-periods of, for example, five years, adding that every five years, these must be established again, on the basis of an explicit decision and adapted to the conditions that will exist at that time.

“ It is, in particular, important to strengthen research management in universities. The traditional structure of faculties and departments is no longer adequate in a time in which the investments in top research have become so high, and partnerships with other research institutes and strategic alliances with industry so important.

“Just to separate research from universities, however, is not the best solution; research groups need a continuous influx of young, creative researchers, whereas faculties need the motivating impulses of the best researchers in their study programmes.

The matrix structure mentioned in the previous point seems an adequate solution to contribute both to flexibility in the use of human resources and to continuous change in internal structures.

“For the functioning of any governance system in universities, talent scouting among the academic staff is essential. It is also crucial that preparing young staff for administrative positions in the university should become a regular part of staff development programmes. This should include internationalization, in the sense of learning from good practice in other countries. Systematic talent scouting, staff development and internationalization may, after all, matter most when it comes to improving governance,” the don added.

The professor of Botany noted that it
was obvious management of university education in Nigeria was plagued by myriads of problems, ranging from acute shortage of fund to poor leadership.

He also identified inadequate equipment and physical facilities, excess enrolment, dearth of academic personnel and incessant industrial action in the university system and recently, insecurity, as major challenges facing the system.

The former vice chancellor also noted that poor
leadership or incompetence of university managers was another huge challenge.

He said that most administrative problems experienced in the country’s universities today, were due to the fact that many of the managers were new in the field and therefore do not have wider knowledge of the technicalities involved in effective university management.

“It is suggested that the government should pay more attention to the effective funding of universities and educational stakeholders should also supplement government efforts.

“Universities management should effectively explore alternative sources of funding such as consultancy services, commercial ventures, endowments and tuition.

“On the issue of insecurity in the country which appears to be threatening the educational system, university education inclusive, government should rise to this challenge by ensuring the security of lives and properties of its citizenry. A proactive and pragmatic approach to quelling the menace of insecurity is therefore recommended, since there cannot be an effective university management in the midst of chaos,” he said.