Don calls for effective ‘town and gown’ relationship

A professor of Food Science and Technology, Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Isaac Adebayo Adeyemi, has identified carrying out a critical analysis of the current operations in both the public and private institutions and evaluating the merits and demerits of each of the operations within each system as the key to repositioning the educational in Nigeria.

Professor Adeyemi who is also the chairman, governing council, The Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State stated this recently while delivering his valedictory lecture, entitled ‘The Ivory Tower: Town and Gown in the Contemporary Nigeria,’ which was the second in the university.

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He said: “From the results of the analysis, it would be feasible to fashion out the way forward at bringing afloat the sinking ship of quality education in the country.”

While he highlighted the historical and emerging trends in town and gown relationships and the tremendous benefits it had brought to universities, particularly in the advanced countries, Adeyemi emphasised the place of evaluating the town and gown relationship within the Nigerian context.

He also identified the missing gaps that need to be addressed in repositioning Nigeria’s tertiary institutions for global competitiveness, noting that the university organs, academic units and students’ bodies have been directly or indirectly playing significant roles in bridging the gap between the town and gown.

The former national president of the Nigeria Institutes of Food Science and Technology (NIFEST) said serving in that capacity gave him the opportunity to build excellent town and gown relationship, which he said he had always found useful in fixing his students for industrial training as a component of their learning.

Professor Adeyemi, who was also the first deputy vice chancellor of LAUTECH, therefore challenged the management of the institution to take a retrospective look at the university and come up with strategic plan at rebuilding its structures.

“The university must come up with principles and application that would restore confidence in town and gown relationships. This, no doubt, would enhance improved levels of funding by the owner states and other relevant stakeholders,” he said.