Re-Prioritising the Focus of Nigerian Higher Education Institutions: A Brief Thought
Dr. Olumuyiwa Akinrole Oludayo
![Dr. Olumuyiwa Akinrole Oludayo]()
Dr. Olumuyiwa Akinrole Oludayo
Committed to Adding Value to People and Organizations
The relevance of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) seems to be dwindling, however, there are a number of new generation Universities that seem to be answering the question of the day: "How Relevant are Graduates to the Needs of the Market?"
Necessity is upon the leaders in the HEIs to do the following:
- Understand the times we live in. We live in a time of accelerated change, intense competition, overwhelming complexity, fatigued courage, unfathomable collaboration, increased consciousness, and slackening culture. The influence of technology has made innovation faster and changes even rapid. The market may be expanding but the buying power isn't; so the competition for the markets have become stiffer. Winning in the markets is no longer simple to attain
- Meet the needs of the stakeholders. The products of the university are not just students. They include research outcomes validated by publications and patents. Enlightenment that stems from the institutions is desired. The key beneficiaries of the products from the HEIs are: Government, Corporations, Community. Corporations need those that untie the knots of complexity and wade through the fading culture of integrity to uphold a value system that makes business conduct sustainable. Corporations expect inputs from the HEIs that can solve problems. Corporations are in need of people that can anticipate challenges and position them for victories ahead of its occurrence. They need people that can weather the storm and navigate through the increasing volatility of rights in the society. Corporations are in need of value driven people whose choices will be guided by noble philosophies that sustains business operations and gives it an admirable reputation. The HEIs are not meeting the corporations needs enough.
- Reprioritise her functions. HEIs are known for traditional duties of teaching, research, and community service. In recent times, a number of universities have deepened their identity as research universities. The new identity supposedly is to meet the need of the stakeholders. It doesn't appear that many HEIs in Nigeria have positioned themselves to solve the need of hour being faced by these stakeholders. More Universities in the West are becoming Research Intensive in order to support efforts of their stakeholders to bring novelty to the marketplace. Our state of development as a nation requires that our HEIs focus on Enterprise Development. This would mean therefore that the HEIs in Nigeria should focus on: Teaching, Research, Enterprise Development, and Community Service. Emphasis must be placed on Enterprise Development because until people are productive, poverty persists.
OAO
Senior Technologist at Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria
4 年In Nigeria, before we can create something like Silicon Valley in US, We must be prepared to supply electric power 24hrs in every community and empower the universities research centers and their agenda financially. Establishment of sophisticated technology incubators at strategic locations in the country should be taken as priority for potential technology breakthroughs……
Senior Technologist at Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria
4 年Other benefits of industry – university partnership are the following: Industry partnerships give students and faculty additional funding. By striking up corporate partnerships, universities have more resources to undertake research, and they are able to diversify their research areas. University-industry collaborations can stimulate companies' internal research and development programs. University researchers help industrial scientists identify current research that might be useful for the design and development of innovative processes and potential products. University-industry collaborations are instrumental in strengthening the ability of universities to conduct high quality and relevant research and enhancing the capability of industry to compete globally. Collaboration is generally regarded as a vehicle for the realization of some of these aims and promoting a higher level of competitiveness (Liyanage and Mitcheil, 1994).
Senior Technologist at Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria
4 年As a continuation of my comment on Dr. Olumuyiwa’s article, to have a robust industry – university partnership that will provoke technological innovation, that will impacts on our communities and our environments, it will involve a holistic redefinition and rearrangement of our educational policies. It will include changes in our curriculum studies from primary schools to universities. We can copy from the French and Canadian education systems. For example in Canada, and in France, there is significant support for vocational and technical education. In addition, government and private investment in Research and Development in the universities and Research centers is huge. There is close collaboration between the Industrial Relation Management professionals and the university academic and researchers. Private investors and Venture Capitalists are encouraged to take up and translate research outputs to physical products for the benefits of the communities and the nation as a whole.
Data Analyst at Teya | Innovator
4 年This is a very insightful piece sir
Soulwinner ll Managing Partner ll Board Advisor ll OD Consultant
4 年Doc, many thanks sir? for dropping this iceberg. I shall take time to drop my full scale opinion. So bad, the gap between the academics and business world get more wider as our educational scholars have detached themselves from this groundwork, compared to what we have in the West, except for few.