FG should address dwindling quality of degrees from public universities

THE Chancellor and founder of Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu, Chief Raymond Adedoyin has tasked the Federal Government to urgently address the dwindling quality of first and second class degrees, being awarded in public universities across the country.

He said this has become necessary with a view to checkmate how the quality of the degrees were dropping, considering the intellectual productivity and on-the-job performance of the awardees of such degrees.

Adedoyin, who gave the charge during eighth matriculation of Oduduwa University said students of public and private universities must be able to justify the degrees they have acquired in citadels of learning.

According to him, “There was a time in Nigeria when public universities were seen as great citadels of learning and examples for their counterparts in the private sector, but gone are those days as these public universities are no longer what they used to be.”

Adedoyin maintained that students from Nigerian public universities should be able to compete favourably with their colleagues from western world in terms of intellectual delivery, adding that relevant stakeholders, including the government and universities management should collaborate to ensure that quality of degrees are sustained.

He stated, “Many public universities lacks the funds as the state of economy had made it difficult for federal and state governments to adequately provide the necessary equipment needed to train undergraduates in their various fields of study and pay lecturers as at when due.

“The equipment available in these universities are old and as such do not meet the present standard needed to train students. Moreso, lecturers are not well remunerated, resulting in little or no motivation at all to impart students with needed knowledge.”