The Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, has advocated what he called a re-orientation and re-direction for the Nigerian university system in order to make it more functional, competitive and globally relevant.
Professor Ajibefun stated this while addressing members of the Governing Council of Adekunle Ajasin University at the 6th Council Retreat of the institution held at the Green Legacy Resorts, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
The Vice Chancellor said the future ahead will be won by those who are creative and imaginative in addition to being academically driven. He asked the handlers of the nation’s educational system to put on their thinking cap to avoid treading the old paths of working without getting the desired results.
He said, "The need to change our orientation in the Nigerian university system is dire and urgent. The present society is knowledge driven but the future is not just about knowledge; it is also about creativity and about imagination and about independent thinking.
“If we continue the same way we have been doing in the past and present, we will continue to have the same results and more problems will continue to emerge. The future won't be just about knowledge but about wisdom and creativity, hence, we have to change our orientation.”
The Vice Chancellor lamented that no Nigerian university ranks among the top 1000 in the recently-released global ranking by Times Higher Education.
According to him, "The best Nigerian university in the ranking, University of Ibadan, was ranked 1,099, while Adekunle Ajasin University was 6,275 in the world and 28 in Nigeria. The militating factors have been identified to include poor funding, lack of an identified academic culture, poor ethics and discipline, poor infrastructural facilities, and poor and unattractive working environment, among others.
“We cannot continue this way. Something must be done. We must re-assess our university not just as an ivory tower but also as a factor in development. We must discuss how the stakeholders will converge to rescue the university system.
"Achieving world-class status requires that a university expands beyond its borders and around the world. It must be locally responsive to the needs of the community and globally engaged in solving the grand challenges facing our world. The boundary between the university and the city must become porous, or even non-existent. The university must be relevant to the society by providing solutions to societal needs. Universities must be involved in creating, developing and deploying impactful community partnerships that advance its teaching and research missions while strengthening ties to a global community."
The Vice Chancellor, however, said Adekunle Ajasin University is not resting on its oars as it continues to make lofty and giant strides despite the difficult Nigerian environment and daunting fiscal hitches.
He said, "Despite the difficult Nigerian environment, Adekunle Ajasin University has made giant strides over the years. The University had been ranked twice as the best state university in Nigeria. Law graduates of the University have consistently performed very well at the Nigerian Law School. The University also has a number of active collaborations with some leading universities around the world. She has consistently achieved great performance in the NUC accreditation exercises in the last eight years. Her graduates have also continued to excel in different areas.
