Akin Oyebode, a Law professor and head, department of Jurisprudence and International Law, is in his usual turf. Taking a critical view on some of the reforms in education system, he recommends a dose of caution on certain policies as captured by PHILIP OKAFOR in this insightful interview.
Decline in research publications in Nigerian universities
Let me beginning by saying that advancement along the academic ladder still depends very much on publications because the principle in the universities says publish or perish. So if an academic wants to make progress, he has to engage in research which will be reflected in his publications. In quite a number of universities, their stipulations as to the number of publications that should appear in foreign journals are for lecturers to attain the professorial rank. In other words, in many universities there is a definite policy to discourage what may be called ‘local champions’.
In foreign journals you do not just publish anything; you must be speaking relevantly. It is not just what you say as important as where you say it.
So I do not believe the notion that publications have ceased. I will concede though that there is no real incentive for research because the atmosphere in the universities does not encourage research, but the architecture for research has become somewhat rickety in Nigeria because of the over-emphasis on teaching. We do not have enough lecturers, so lecturers are overburdened by teaching. The job description of a lecturer is research, teaching, and community service. But when you have people carrying unholy workload, for instance, a professor should ordinarily teach for just six hours a week. There was a time I had 28 hours per week. That leaves little time to think about the problems of Nigeria when you have just the obligation to appear in classes teaching students. But teaching does not earn promotion, it is publications that do.
I am saying that the problem of publication is multifaceted. The individual researcher must possess the wherewithal to deliver the goods and in terms of the-state-of-the- equipment, research tools, laboratories, libraries and internet connectivity, those things must be in place. Then the atmosphere in the faculties, departments should encourage research so that you do not overburden young lecturers with teaching that they have no time to do research. I agree that research funds exist but the procedure for accessing it is a little bit tedious because universities do not want to allow a situation of people making away with research funds without showing the result. So there is due diligence that go into application for research grants and if you cannot fulfil the due diligence, then there will be no money giving to you because you have to hire research assistant. Right now I have hired two research assistants from my own resources to help me tidy up the new edition off one of my books. Ordinarily as it is in other countries in the world, professors are assisted with assistants. The universities here do not have provisions for such except you get a research for fund for a particular subject matter which into you will build the provision for research assistant. So, professors are too engage to be going to do basic research in the library. They need research assistants that will provide the raw data which the professor can now use his experience to systematise and churn out ideas base on new materials that have been provided. The question of research is very complex. But I concede that people say that as soon as professors attain professorship, they stop thinking. I do not believe so. Though we have not won Nobel prizes but we have to create the necessary environment that will enable researchers to deliver the good.
UTME policy
Professor Dibu Ojerinde is famous for novel issues just for cheap popularity. I do not think it is right to adopt a-one-side-street-all-approach. Universities are different from polytechnics and polytechnics are different from Colleges of education. So it is a mismatch approach. It is just for the love of novelty. I do not buy it. I think it is a non-starter. In the universities we train people to think; the polytechnics train people to perform to do things and the Colleges of education train teachers for secondary schools. The qualifications to enter these tertiary institutions vary. Here in University of Lagos, for instance, you need minimum of five credits in one sitting including English and mathematics. I am not sure the polytechnics have such stringent criteria, let alone Colleges of education. How can you now adopt a unified system for different institutions? It does not make too much sense in my view and you might discover that majority of the candidates will opt for the universities and will end up in a situation where no one wants to go to the polytechnics or Colleges of education. In fact, the medicine may be worse than the disease that you want to cure. It is experimentation that has gone awry. I think we have to sound a note of caution not driving too fast in terms of education reform. Better the devil you know than the angel you are yet to meet. I think we have to recommend a dose of caution in all these novel newfangled ideas which might not necessarily solve the problem that has been apprehended.
Ph.D criteria for lecturers
It is a good idea but it is not something to be hurried because it takes quite a while to produce a Ph.D and we just have a few people that can supervise doctoral students. I have four Ph.D students I am supervising at the moment and that is the limit. The deadline of next year should be revised to may be 2015 and then provide funds or scholarship for people to go abroad to finish up so that they will not be encumbered with the tedious of teaching. Many of the staff candidates that are doing their Ph.D here are loaded with teaching. It is not very easy combining teaching with Ph.D work. So there are sorts of imponderables which affect the process. It is an ideal situation to ensure that the minimum qualification to teach in the university is a doctorate, but we cannot push it too hard. I taught in the university with two Masters’ degrees before I went for my doctorate and before becoming a senior lecturer in 1981. I must say that Ph.D teaches research skills and gives lots of self-confidence. A doctorate is good on the CV; it is good on profile and visit card, but in actuality there are some Master’s holders who are good lecturers who may not be terribly good researchers which is what the doctorate supposed to certify. I think we should not throw away the baby with bath water. We should give those who do not have Ph.D more time, at least five years to either shape up or shape out.
