Nigerian varsities not designed to meet societal needs – Lagos SSG
The high unemployment rate among graduates in the country has been traced to the poorly designed and structured universities in Nigeria which were not tailored to respond and meet the need of their environment.
This was disclosed recently by Secretary of the Lagos State government, Barrister Tunji Bello, while delivering the 4th annual distinguished lecture of Association of Nigerian University Administrators (ANUPA) Lagos State University branch with the topic, ‘LASU administration: The challenge of town and gown partnership in Lagos State’.
Bello noted that both the specialised and state universities in the country were fashioned in philosophy and organisation in the mode of the first generation universities which were academic and generalist in nature, while neglecting practical and professional skills.
Bello, who was a former editorial chairman of Thisday newspaper, argued that the diversity and multiplication of universities in Nigeria has not led to the production of graduates who are equipped to meet the changing needs of the economy.
He said: “It would appear however that both the diversity of universities did not necessarily lead to the production of graduates better prepared to meet the dynamic and rapidly changing needs of the economy.
“Both the specialised and state universities seemed fashioned philosophically and organisationally in the image of the first and second republic universities. Both the federal and state universities were not designed to meet the peculiarities and challenge of their environment,” Bello added.
The former two term Commissioner of Environment in Lagos State lamented the hostile relationship of university administrators towards students, stressing that university could not exist without students and charged administrators to improve their relationship with students considering their importance in the actualisation of the university mandate.
He implore LASU to fashion out ways of researching on how the various natural resources of the state could be effectively used to benefit the state economy.
