ICT university: Another perspective

E MINENT lawyer, former pro-chancellor of the University of Lagos and founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola, penultimate Thursday, raised a few questions on the establishment of a new university specifically conceived to deepen knowledge and skills in Information Communication Technology in Nigeria. The ICT University of Nigeria, midwife by the Ministry of Communications, is not expected to place an additional burden on the Federal Government. It is a specialised institution conceived on the unique concept of Public Private Partnership to promote result-oriented education in Nigeria.

The gesture is in furtherance of government’s policy shift which some 15 years ago allowed private individuals, groups and organisations to establish tertiary institutions. The philosophy behind the new ICT University, Nigeria, is primarily to relieve the government of enormous funding of tertiary education by collaborating with organizations, international institutions and industry giants. It is on record that Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, was founded on a similar premise, that government alone cannot fund quality education. There is no denying the fact that there is an urgent need to increase access to higher education in Nigeria. Records at the National Bureau of Statistics indicated that over 10 million candidates sought admission into the country’s tertiary institutions through the UTME between 2010 and 2015. A paltry 2.67 million, representing a little over 26 per cent were admitted. This suggests the need for the creation of more universities.

The ‘new’ university does not require huge take-off grants because it will utilise existing, first-rate and enormous infrastructure facilities available at the six existing Digital Bridge Institutes spread across all the geopolitical zones. In fact, a visit to any of the six campuses of DBI would have enabled Aare Babalola to better appreciate the   vision of the Minister of Communications. Suffice it to say that the ICT University, Nigeria is not conceptualised on “the traditional education framework” found in typical Nigerian universities. The university seeks to provide greater access with emphasis on academic disciplines hitherto unavailable in Nigerian tertiary institutions. In addition, it is about new age pedagogy of training students; students who will be employable and efficient with entrepreneurial skills and professionalism.

Just a few days ago, New Zealand opened its third ICT University to meet the exponential growth in all sectors of its economy. This is one of the reasons behind the vision for ICT University, Nigeria. With partnership already consummated with leading organisations and institutions as Hewlett Packard, Google, Morgan State University and Enugu State government, to mention a few, the goals of university education in Nigeria has entered a new age – indeed, the era of Renaissance in Nigerian education system. Information, Communication Technology generally is all over us; yet we do not have a credible and sustainable model for imparting knowledge to our exuberant, youthful population. We also do not have the ideal pedagogy to retrain our teachers in the existing universities, especially private ones, where moonlighting by teachers or sole financing with heavy burden on students and parents are the order of the day. ICT cannot be exonerated from sectors of the Nigerian economy; and like advanced economies, the vision is to catch up with the exponential growth in the field thereby galvanizing everyone on the new mantra.

It should be noted that the Ministry of Communications, in collaboration with the private sector in Nigeria and overseas, is establishing the university to enhance our nation’s Information and Communication Technology learning environment. The objective is to stimulate innovation and creative thinking, re-strategise ICT skills acquisition and sustain research and development culture that focuses on solutions to current and anticipated challenges. It is imperative to state that knowledge and innovation and the sustainability of both, as they relate to the urgency to retrain the psyche of the Nigerian citizenry, has informed the vision behind the establishment of the ICT University.

The ICT University, Nigeria is not just another tertiary institution; it is a solution-driven institution relevant to all aspects of the Nigerian economy. The growing and continued interest to partner from within and outside Nigeria is a testimony to the fact that both undergraduate and postgraduate training can no longer be delivered using the old ineffective pedagogy.

Globally, ICT institutions are established to provide industry-based, creative, innovative education, research and development through sustainable collaboration between providers like the Federal Government, industries, leading institutions outside host nation and other stakeholders. Nigerian tertiary institutions are largely operating in silos, limiting opportunities to students and the society at large. The primary objective of the ICT University, Nigeria is to provide greater access, work-relevant and business focused skills in all fields of study, ultimately stimulating employment and greater entrepreneurship. Indeed, funding is a critical factor in running a tertiary institution. This notion supports the template proffered by the Minister of Communications for the ICT University. The University will be funded through Public Private Partnership. To recall, the Minister while unveiling the 31-member Implementation Committee emphasized that President Muhammadu Buhari gave a nod to the idea upon the assurance that the ICT University will be funded through the PPP approach.

For the record, the Minister has travelled far and wide to garner the support of key players in the ICT industry on this funding approach which is similar to the funding model embraced by first class institutions as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford and Oxford universities. These universities are substantially funded by industry giants and the private sector. In any case, many top leading universities today started with specific disciplines like the ICT University, Nigeria!

The following excerpt must fascinate the indefatigable Aare Babalola: “The third of the New Zealand government’s three ICT Graduate Schools was formally launched in Christchurch on 22 August 2017, and aims to develop the ICT skills of current industry professionals, teachers, and new students. The South Island ICT Graduate Network and Laboratory (SIGNAL), is a consortium between the University of Canterbury, Lincoln University, University of Otago, Otago Polytechnic, and the Ara Institute of Canterbury. It   has sites in Christchurch and Dunedin. New Zealand’s ICT sector is now a significant contributor to the economy, with more than 11,000 firms employing nearly 30,000 people, and contributing $3.6 billion to our economy,” said Paul Goldsmith, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment. “In such a fast-moving industry, it is important our ICT tertiary education providers and businesses are well connected to ensure graduates have the right skills and aptitudes, and enable research and the exchange of knowledge to benefit both businesses and academia.”

• Abifarin is a Public Relations practitioner