Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike says the fast-changing world demands a corresponding change in education standards and Rivers State University (RSU) must be ready to benchmark its academic programmes to meet global demands.
The governor gave the charge at the 34th Convocation ceremony of the Rivers State University (RSU) on Saturday in Port Harcourt at which he was conferred with the Honourary Doctor of Laws Degree LL.D (Honoris Causa).
He stated that it is for the attainment of those global standards that his administration delightfully invested funds to improve infrastructure, and establish faculties, particularly the college of medical sciences.
With all the investment of his administration into the university, Wike insisted that the university management must move the institution away from the existing academic model of processing of graduates in their numbers after every four or five years, unmindful of the quality of knowledge and skills imparted.
He maintained that RSU cannot be rated high and respected globally unless it can link education with cutting-edge research that creates new knowledge and innovation that converts ideas into wealth creation, jobs and human progress.
He said; “Graduates lacking adequate knowledge, dexterity and self-transformation cannot be helpful to society, nor will they be useful to themselves.
“Money spent on such graduates may have also been wasted as they will remain socio-economic burdens to their families, friends and community.”
Wike said that at the inception of his administration, he constituted the Governing Council of the institution and charged them to develop the blueprint that will engender sustainable transformation in the university.
He explained that his administration also resolved the lingering strike of the academic staff and recalled the staff unjustly dismissed for union activities by the previous government.
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