An academic and Professor of Educational Management and Planning, Prof Eric Chikweru Amadi says the freedom and autonomy of the Nigerian Universities is the only way to save them from producing half baked graduates
Jude Nzennaya, Port Harcourt
A Professor of Educational Management and Planning at the Rivers State University (RSU), Prof Eric Chikweru Amadi has sounded it loud and clear that the only way forward for Nigeria’s educational system is academic freedom and autonomy.
Prof Amadi stated this during the 97th Inaugural lecture of the Rivers State University in Port Harcourt.
According to him, the only way out of the near academic crisis in the nation’s university system is autonomy and academic freedom.
Speaking on the topic,” Reality and Idealness of University Education in Nigeria”, Prof Amadi said if academic freedom and autonomy is granted the universities, education shall be free at all levels, contrary to insinuations from some quarters that it will take the university education out of the reach of the common man.
He cited Ghana as a ready example, where he said fundings to the universities have been shared between the Federal, State and Local Governments and according to him, everything is going on smoothly there.
The University Don said that even in India and China that are more populated than Nigeria, there are no issues of funding because they have since adopted autonomy and academic freedom that is globally accepted presently.
The Prof said that by the year 2050, more people would be born and the university will be more populated, thereby making it difficult to run, so the only panacea to this issue is full autonomy and academic freedom.
“Globally Idealness in the university educational system has been adopted. So Nigeria cannot be left out. It is high time the country grants full autonomy and academic freedom to the universities for optimal performance,” Professor Amadi posited.
While commending the 97th Inaugural Lecturer, the Vice Chancellor of the Rivers State University, Prof Nlerum Okogbule said Professor Amadi has done justice to the topic,” Reality and Idealness of University Education in Nigeria”.
He promised that Rivers State University (RSU) under his watch as Vice Chancellor will continue to organise its inaugural lectures for scholars to bring to bear their research findings for the development of Nigeria.
