ARISE, UNIVERSITIES OF NIGERIA!

Nigerian universities could do better than their current showing, writes Monday Philips Ekpe

I am not about to defend the integrity of the Webometric ranking of universities carried out periodically to ascertain the capacity of the institutions that represent the highest level of learning while delivering quality education around the world. The reactions that greet the efforts and results range from casual dismissal to jubilation, anger, distrust, cynicism, pride and a sense of loss or defeat. In practical terms, however, the exercise is similar to FIFA ranking. At some point, one is at a loss in trying to figure out the criteria used in arriving at certain conclusions. You have to keep resisting the temptation to accuse bodies like FIFA and Webometrics of bias. Even more difficult to accept could be your own possibility of being sentimental in assessing the outcomes of what is supposed to be empirical enquiry. The bottom-line is that it does not feel good to have what one is associated with marked down in the eye of the world. It becomes more painful when the organisation conducting the rating enjoys national, regional or global recognition and credibility. Everyone wants to be respected and regarded highly, at the end.

The July 2018 university ratings have, as usual, placed our entire university system in a shameful bracket. University of Ibadan, the nation’s oldest, at 70 years old, is the first in Nigeria and 905th on earth, followed by Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (second in Nigeria, 2,287th in the world); Covenant University, Ota (third in Nigeria, 2,824th in the world); University of Nigeria Nsukka (fourth in Nigeria, 3,050th in the world); and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (fifth in Nigeria, 3,545th in the world). University of Port Harcourt and Federal University of Technology, Owerri, came sixth and seventh respectively. University of Lagos took the eighth position in Nigeria and 5,025th in the world. Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and University of Agriculture, Abeokuta came ninth and 10th in Nigeria, in that order. The fact that no state government-owned institution is among the top 10 slots is a sad commentary on its own. And that two relatively young private universities, namely Babalola and Covenant, have pushed aside older, public ones also demonstrates the presence of largely latent non-governmental initiatives and capabilities in the country.

There is no doubting the fact that we could do better than our current showing. Nothing validates this stance better than the more enviable profiles of some other African countries. While it would not be fair to compare the standard of our tertiary education with that of advanced nations, we should at least be seen to be performing favourably in comparison with continental competitors. In a globalised world, it also does not make sense to ignore perception or image matters. By their very nature, universities are platforms for exchange of ideas from across the globe. They must, therefore, possess the infrastructure required for the sourcing and transmission of knowledge. And for them to remain relevant, commensurate modern applications must be in place. This draws a line between mediocrity and excellence, between under-achievement and brilliant intellectual accomplishments.

The ideal relationship between the ivory towers and the societies within which they operate was put into perspective by Dr. Jesus Granados in his article titled, “The Challenges of Higher Education in the 20th Century” published in Global University Network for Innovation. According to the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain, scholar, “The diverse and heterogeneous society of the new millennium is characterised by a series of internal crises in the welfare state: the social crisis, the environmental crisis and unsustainable practices, the crisis of states, the threat posed by globalisation, and finally, the crisis of democracy. The consequences of these crises include the exacerbation of social and economic inequality; the emergence of a global form of planetary management with new decision-making centres that have undermined the decision-making power of individuals and states; and citizens’ loss of confidence in the democratic system due to the perception that political decisions are distant and difficult to influence.

“When new forms of knowledge and symbolisation qualitatively impregnate all basic aspects of a society, or when a society’s structures and processes for reproducing itself are so penetrated by knowledge-dependent operations that information creation operations, symbolic analysis and expert systems are more important than other factors of production, then we’re talking about the knowledge society… The major challenge facing a knowledge society is the generation of collective intelligence: society’s intelligence as a whole is more important than just having a society composed of multiple individual intelligences. In a sense, education must lead to empowerment: through education, individuals should acquire the capacity to make decisions and act effectively in accordance with those decisions, and this in turn entails the ability to influence the rules of play through any of the available options. Thus, education consists in developing not only personal but also social qualities; it is the development of social conscience: awareness of how society works, knowledge of how it is structured, and a sense of the personal agency which allow action.”

University education is that serious. But just leaving desires at the level of wishes can only lead to greater frustration, resentment and disillusionment. The quest for enhanced amenities and operational conditions must not be left to relevant trade unions alone. There should be a consistent, nationwide campaign to force the reality on the government and other stakeholders. After all, these universities produce the professionals who should safeguard our individual and collective wellbeing, now and tomorrow.