Gains and Setbacks Related with Institutional Governance Reforms in Nigerian Universities

Principles and Policies Guiding Current Reforms in Nigerian Universities

This paper is an attempt to put forward and analyze the principles and politics guiding the reforms currently taking place within the higher education sub-sector in Nigeria. The paper is in three main sections. The first section presents an overview of the Nigeria university system highlighting its problems and challenges. The second examines the policies and reforms that have been introduced to address the challenges and problems facing the Nigerian university system within a global context, including the principles guiding these policies and reforms. The third section is a preliminary attempt to briefly assess the success and sustainability of these reforms. Keeping in mind that it is still early days, and that such far-reaching reforms will take time to achieve their objectives, I argue that the reforms are already showing evidence of the desired results. Thanks to the reform programme, the Nigerian university system is on the road to recovery after many years of neglect. 02.OKEBUKOLA.pmd 27/12/2006, 12:40 25

2 - Principles and Policies Guiding Current Reforms in Nigerian Universities

Journal of Higher Education in Africa, 2006

Confronting Governance Challenges in Nigerian Universities IJLD

Human Capital Development is the fulcrum of development. It is therefore imperative that a lot of premium should be placed on capacity building. One of the institutions saddling with this onerous task is university. Universities are equipped with capacity and have human resource base to train individuals with a niche of specialisation. Such capacity however is deficient in Nigeria. The Nigerian universities are confronted with obstinate challenges crippling their capacity to deliver services. The paper identified the militating factors as having both endogenous and exogenous origin and insisted that the tottering economy of Nigeria contributed significantly to the capacity collapse and the falling standards of Nigerian Universities. It adopted content analysis as a method of data gathering and analysis. The main thrust of this paper is to examine these challenges with a view to proffering solution to adequately address them.

Governance Issues in Higher Education in Nigeria

European Journal of Education Studies, 2020

In realization of the inevitability of education to the socio-political and economic development of the country, the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria swung into action many years ago in a bid to grant its citizenry the fundamental human right to education generally and higher education in particular. Thus, this paper therefore, examined how practicable it had been for the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to provide equal and adequate higher education to its citizenry as enshrined in the 1979 constitution. The paper dwelt on the issues of access, institutional and academic freedom; funding, curricula and management of university education. It was revealed that there is acute shortage of access to university education. There is the problem of dilapidated infrastructure and the existence of idealistic curriculum, poor funding, total erosion of university autonomy to mention but a few. Recommendations were therefore, made the Federal Government grant Nigerian u...

An Examination of Governance Typology in Nigeria Higher Education System

2020

Nigeria higher education institutions (NHEIs) are facing a number of challenges that border on corporate governance (CG) practices. CG includes the issues of autonomy and accountability. In developed and developing countries, autonomy is being extended to HEIs for flexibility in fulfilling the mandate of teaching, research and community service. This paper explores CG culture and its challenges in NHEIs. A qualitative survey research method was employed through structured interviews of selected NHEIs key stakeholders and extensive desk-based research. The results of the interviews and content analysis of operational documents of selected high ranking NHEIs revealed the adoption of corporate governance structures and processes. The study also recognised the non-existence of disclosure of CG practice. Challenges such as inadequate funding, excessive interference by government, domineering influence of unions, faulty composition of CG constituents and poor leadership are some factors a...

Understanding Government Policies In University Education (A Study Of Nigeria University Management)

The aim of this paper is to take a step backward to understand how government policies in university education have been positioned in the context of the Nigerian university. In order to achieve this aim, this paper has taken a different approach to the study of government policies in university education in Nigeria. First a standard literature review was conducted to identify and understand how Nigerian universities are constituted, considering their history from a critical realist point of view by observing practical government policies that are practised by university management. Secondly, the paper has used a qualitative approach, primarily interviews with 29 top university officials, to collect relevant information on government policies in university education. The findings reveal that government policies on paper are not the same in practice. Likewise, it was evident that Nigerian universities have embraced or adopted many policies from Western countries such as the United Kingdom through their colonial master, the United States, through the government‟s desperate need to improve the process of education in the country. The paper concludes that if government policies are to achieve what they are designed for then those who make the policies should be ready to support them both financially and morally.

Towards effective management of university education in Nigeria

2009

Higher education plays a crucial role in the supply of high level manpower for the socio-political and economic development of a nation. To this end, the effective management of this educational sector becomes necessary. This paper examines the myriads of problems militating against the effective management of the Nigeria university education system. These include: financial crisis, poor infrastructure, brain-drain, erosion of university autonomy, graduate unemployment, volatile and militant students’ unionism, secret cults, examination malpractices and sexual harassment. Therefore, it is recommended that government should re-address the issue of funding of university, review upward the pay-package of academics, grant the university autonomy and make plans and projections on the nation’s manpower needs in a bid to integrate this into the university programmes. Key words: University education, management

Tertiary Education Reforms: The Case Of Nigeria

2017

The need for effective quality education reform in any Nigeria cannot be overemphasized; this is because educational reform when properly carried out will lead to economic, social and political development. Despite the effort in carrying out the reforming of Nigerian educational system with the perceived advantages, there are still myriad of influencing factors hindering its realization. This article focuses on the tertiary education reforms with special reference to the country Nigeria. The paper opted for a general review approach, covering literature which provides an overview of the concepts of reforms, educational reforms, problems of tertiary education, goals and challenges of educational reforms .Recommendations are then made towards effective educational reform in Nigeria.

ROLE OF NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATORS IN GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT

When we speak about Nigerian University system or University education in Nigeria, several issues come to mind. We are bound to address the Nigeria University within the context of the following analysis viz. i. The National Policy on Education for Tertiary Education in Nigeria ii. The Laws and Statures establishing Universities in Nigeria owing to the type of Universities and the goals and objectives to be achieved iii. The accreditation and ranking parameters for evaluating University education in Nigeria and the place of various institutions in terms of a. The key players in University Management b. Governing policy and management strategies c. Academic resources and research development d. Working environment vis a vis the culture and input and output of work and the performances and e. Availability of funds Discussing the environment of Nigerian University, therefore, speaks volume about the type of institutions of higher learning or tertiary institutions in Nigeria, whether state owned institutions, mission based, corporately or privately owned. It also specifics about the trend and culture of the institutional stakeholders, whether as policy makers, managers, academics, administrators, members of the community or clients of the University system, even the town and gown relationship. The complexity of the Nigerian University system, therefore, brings to fore the need to see the Nigerian University as a child of necessity and a MODEL conceived to bring about change in the acquisition of knowledge, education of literate public and contributions to the development of national life. The performance and scope of the University system are however limited to the degree of the knowledge and practice available to its teachers, specialists, and students in rubbing minds together and tolerating one another towards providing a SUSTAINABLE AGENDA for the University to function and move in the right direction. Such step must be seen as not only DEMOCRATIC, PRODUCTIVE and SOUND, but not SELF-SERVING and people centered. As long as the University is running like a CLIQUE or an ANIMAL FARM, rather than a place of MERIT and VALUES, little can be done to do things right and put things in perspectives across the ladder. If on the other part, we are desirous of examining the Nigerian University in the context of what a University is expected to be in global perspective of University System and management, then we have to look at the existing standards, the best possible and universally acceptable standards using verifiable methods to ascertain if Nigerian University is within those templates or working towards it and if the other participants are also capable of playing their roles. What is most astounding to state here is that Nigerian University has produced some of the WORLD BEST and also some of the WORST. For us to have produced inventors like Olu Awojobi, legal sound minds like Gani Fawehinmi, profound medically celebrated scholars like Oshuntokun, a literary giant like Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe amongst others, indicate that there was upon a time that Nigerian University was the WORLD BEST. The same University system had first class Academic Administrators like Kenneth Dike, Hezekiah Oluwasanmi, and Ade-Ajayi, as well as University Professional Administrators like Simeon Adebo, Femi Eperokun, and Moji Ladipo. Why is that same institution of scholars (an ivory tower) also producing nowadays Academic Administrators and Professional Administrators without grounded knowledge of management, respect for propriety in administration and academic standards? Why has the University system transformed into a community of unlettered and unruly managers who compromises standards and work for their personal interest rather than the development of the society? Why has policy makers in the University transformed into contractors and politicians when they ought to be concerned with the quality of discipline and development that the University can surmount! When we can truly address these issues, then we would be able to situate the University system in proper perspectives.

The Evolution of University Governance in Ghana: Implications for Education Policy and Practice

Asian Social Science, 2016

The relationship between education and public policy is two way: (1) economic development of a nation depends on the human capital produced by the education system of that nation and (2) public spending and management of the education system is crucial to the welfare of the nation. Changes in this relationship generate public concerns about university governance and its implications to national development. Therefore, this study explores the questions: (1) Have the role and purpose of university governance changed since its inception? (2) Are there differences between the old and the new system of university governance? (3) What larger ramifications does this have on university governance? The study was conducted within the framework of qualitative research design. The researchers adopted the social constructivist worldview with phenomenology approach to inquiry. Participants who were mainly eminent former senior university administrators and regulators with management, administrative and governance experience in public and private university were interviewed. Data was transcribed and read repeatedly over time to make sense of issues raised by informants. Significant statements were selected, interpreted and used in the text to highlight key issues as well as to provide voice of the informants. The findings of the study suggest that remedies for the changes realized in governance should take into account measures such as strengthening institutional capacities; balancing between the interests of the private and public sector actors in university education; and safeguarding the policy space of the ordinary people to participate in university education affairs that concern or affect them.

Gains and Setbacks Related with Institutional Governance Reforms in Nigerian Universities (original) (raw)

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