Recently, another set of ratings emerged among Nigerian universities – this time within the African continent. The hierarchy was fairly predictable. University of Ibadan occupied the prime position in Nigeria and the various first generation universities jostled for supremacy, with an institution like Covenant University, a private institution, having an honourable mention. Meanwhile, South African universities, so to say, bested our own universities. Again, the Boers have a lot to crow about. Under apartheid, they put in place vibrant and enduring institutions. And the university system in South Africa was certainly one of them. But then, I digress.
Back to the main issue of university ratings. As regards hierarchy, a lot of the foregoing is fairly predictable. What I find curious, however, is that a little while ago another set of ratings was announced. At that point in time, the self-same Covenant University was declared as the top dog among Nigerian universities. So what has changed? One ready answer is that outcomes as regards ratings really depend on who is doing the rating. In other words, there is what can be called subjectivity in objectivity!
As an insider in the university system within and outside Nigeria, I can authoritatively say here that it is possible to game the ratings as some universities are wont to do. The search for cosmetic laurels is the main motivation. What obtains is a clear case of my university is better than yours – apologies to Nkem Nwankwo who authored ‘My Mercedes is Bigger than Yours’. In light of this preening attitude, the danger is that universities, more often than not, will lose sight of the fundamental goals and aspirations which ought to underpin their essence.
What is this essence? By way of answer, one of the primary purposes of a university is to play a prime role in solving societal problems, immediate and remote, in their localities. In other words, a university, no matter the way it is rated, will and should ultimately be judged by its relevance in terms of its capacity to solve problems.
Universities in the developed countries appear to be at home with this instrumental value of education. One notable instance here was the atomic bomb which was something of a game-changer in the World War II. Records have it that the atomic bomb was essentially owed to the creative energy and output of professors in the US universities. Again, the seemingly inscrutable German codes were cracked by university academics. The rest is history in terms of the fact that once Germany lost out in this vital area, she had effectively lost the war.
On the other hand, in Nigeria and, by extension, Africa, the organic linkage between universities and the policy world is largely absent. Such indeed is the respective and episodic profiles of the university and the policy world that our problems remain largely unsolved. In other words, our universities continue to be nothing but decorative contraptions. This rather pathetic and lamentable lag can be observed, for instance, in the GSM phenomenon. By the latest count, there are over 100 universities in Nigeria. Many of them offer electronics and electrical engineering, disciplines that are germane to the GSM phenomenon. Yet, and as I write, external forces especially from South Africa are mainly responsible for the technical dimensions of the GSM phenomenon in Nigeria. One side consequence is that till date, the GSM technology remains foreign to Nigeria despite the fact that our various universities presume to study disciplines like Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Invariably, this dismal picture is replicated in every area of our national life.
Again, the assumption is that we have an oil industry. But is the technology domiciled here? Certainly no! Indeed, and for a long time, our universities were not in the business of studying relevant oil-industry subjects like Geology, Geophysics and Chemical Engineering. What is perhaps even more numbing is that there are visible efforts on the part of the multinational oil companies to initiate Nigeria in this relevant direction. But how genuine can these efforts be? The answer is that these oil companies are in the oil business first and foremost to protect their interests. And this is legitimate, if only because the world of oil politics is shot through with a zero-sum game phenomenon.
However, this bleak outlook of our universities and irrelevance has been tempered by an isolated event. Our specific reference here is to the recent research efforts by Covenant University to invest in the cassava plant, such that a more wholesome product will emerge. This is to be commended, if only because what can be seen here is a credible effort on the part of the university as regards relevance.
Our various universities should emulate this posture. One way of ensuring this is a regular review of various curricula, such that our universities will no longer be mere white elephants. Thus, while preoccupation with ratings is good, the more important issue of relevance to societal problems should be pursued. The age of education as an end in itself is gone. Our universities should get down to their real job of relevance.
Kayode Soremekun
