THE vice chancellor of Kwara State University (KWASU), Professor Muhammed Mustapha Akanbi, (SAN), has urged the National Universities Commission (NUC), to review the country’s postgraduate programme policies with a view to making it dynamic and creative.
Akanbi further noted that over regulation of the highest university education programme (postgraduate) in no small measure would kill creativity and innovation.
He added that “postgraduate education in other climes are made to be dynamic so that it can contribute immensely when it comes to solving real economic, societal and development issues and of course; that of educational growth.”
Prof. Akanbi who said this in a chat with the Nigeria Tribune recently, stated: “I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the National Universities Commission to make postgraduate programmes more dynamic. As it were, over regulation of postgraduate programmes kills creativity and innovation. When students are doing their first degree programmes, you can regulate their activities in full.
“However, by the time they are going for a postgraduate programme, we’re looking out for innovations and creativity. We are looking for things that could jumpstart a nation and economy. So, when you over regulate it, you are not going to have dynamic courses or programmes and of course you are not going to have dynamic scholars.”
The don further said: “I think the NUC should give room to creativity, even at the undergraduate level, I don’t see what’s wrong in making the academic programmes more dynamic. You could have a course like Christian Studies and International Relations, Arabic and International Relations. The university is a place where you churn out creative minds. Years back, I knew people were having degrees in History and Economics. So what is wrong with that?
“We have students who go outside this country to study all sorts of exotic degrees and when they return we celebrate them. Yet, in Nigeria we don’t allow those courses. If someone comes from America and says I have a BSc degree or MBA degree, in Economics and History and Religion and they are reading his/her citation, we will all be clapping.
“So, the NUC has to relax a bit in terms of regulating some of these programmes, especially at the postgraduate level.”
Professor Akanbi also urged parents, teachers, lecturers and especially vice chancellors to take the job of training students very seriously, saying that all hands must be on deck to ensure that universities produce responsible graduates who can lead Nigeria to greater heights.
His words: “Parents should take the training and future of their children seriously. Starting from your home, train and prepare your children to be responsible and reasonable people. This will translate into them becoming good students and citizens. While teachers and lecturers have to instil academic knowledge in students, they should strictly follow stipulated rules of the schools to discipline them too.
“I’ve told my daughter that if she messes up when she comes to KWASU for her studies and that if the sanction of expulsion is what is equivalent to whatever offence she has committed, I will not hesitate to expel her. I am not going to cover her because I am her father.
“By doing so I’m teaching her and her siblings to be good citizens of the country. The people coming to the university are young adults; they should know the consequences of their actions. It is important that parents, teachers, lecturers and even VCs do their job as regards producing responsible and reasonable students cum youths for the good of the country.
“It is very important for us as a country to rediscover our societal values so that when we send our children to the higher institution, they will not see the university as a place where they can do just anything.
“They should see the university as a place where they would be educated so that they can become good citizens.So, it’s a big challenge.”
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