The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, has said for the university to attain its goals, it must critically harness its autonomous status and be accountable in its operations.
The JAMB Registrar in a thought-provoking lecture held at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, on Thursday, 21st March, 2024, delved into the complex interplay of university autonomy and accountability saying university autonomy comes with checks and balances for the realisation of teaching, research, community development, character re-moulding and re-engineering.
According to the former Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, autonomy as a broad term, denotes the ability of a university to independently manage its daily affairs and curriculum without external interference either from government or other organisations. The occasion, which was a tribute to the illustrious career of Professor Benjamin Chukwuma Ozumba, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, served as a platform to scrutinise the evolving dynamics shaping higher education in Nigeria.Prof. Oloyede underscored how autonomy, which would necessarily encompass financial independence, administrative control, and academic freedom is fundamental to fostering innovation and academic excellence. He stated that autonomy imposed the need to be transparent in their operations. He, however, regretted that independence of universities is often curtailed by lack of requisite funding and other bottlenecks making autonomy dependent on governmental discretion and legislative frameworks.
Drawing from his extensive experience in academia and administration, the JAMB Registrar, navigated the complexities of governance structures and funding mechanisms that negatively impact institutional autonomy. He also critically examined past governmental proposals and university responses, shedding light on the divergent interpretations and conflicting interests at play. Furthermore, he emphasized the imperative for universities to, not only strive after autonomy, but also fulfill their societal obligations by contributing to national developmental aspirations.
Prof. Oloyede’s lecture, therefore, serves as a clarion call to action on the part of academia to foster a culture of integrity, accountability, and efficient governance within the Nigerian university system to make autonomy a worthwhile venture. In his valedictory lecture titled: “The Role of Tertiary Institution in Nation Building: My Experience in University of Nigeria” Prof. Benjamin Ozumba said that all nations that were doing well in the world such as the US, UK, China, among others, devote enormous resources to education and were thus able to provide their citizens with cheap and accessible education.
He said, “The great asset to nation building is human capital development which can only be achieved through education. “Therefore, government should endeavour to earmark 26% of the annual budget for educational development as recommended by the United Nations.“The government can decide to adopt our innovation templates and leadership style, which have repositioned UNN as a towering centre of learning and skill development centre.”
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the host of the occasion, Prof. Charles Igwe, said the event was historic considering the array of dignitaries that graced the occasion to celebrate the retirement of the 14th Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Ozumba, from the service of the institution. He also commended Prof. Oloyede for honouring the invitation despite the event falling within the holy month of Ramadan stating that it was, indeed, a great sacrifice. In addition, he expressed hope that Prof. Oloyede would do justice to the topic as he would be speaking from an informed and experienced position as a former Vice Chancellor and one-time Chairman of the Committee of Vice Chancellors.
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