In his inaugural professorial lecture, Professor Muhammad Muftahu addressed the need for the institutionalization of higher education as a field of study and professional practice in Nigeria. This is amidst the wave of increasing debates about skills over degrees or vice versa and other higher education problems that continue to stunt the growth of education in the country.
lecture, which took place on November 14, 2023, at Kaduna State University, disclosed the massive strategic importance of higher education in Nigeria’s development after serving in various capacities as a professional higher education consultant and researcher. In his journey, he has navigated the multitude of intricacies of the discipline while teaching revered values in various institutions and organizations around the world.
In the years of my professional engagements with Prof. Muftahu, particularly in higher education research, article writing and research reviews, we have both documented facts and valuable insights that have given higher education the needed spotlight. Today, it is the sum of the profound knowledge that I have gained that has eased my current engagement as a content writer at a higher education institution in Nigeria. Prof. would always insist that we had both learned from each other until my contracted work arrangement elapsed.
The field of higher education is interestingly an important asset to Nigeria’s all-round development, as he highlighted while delivering his lecture titled ‘Institutionalising Higher Education as a Field of Study and Professional Practice in Nigeria’. It solidifies and amplifies every single element that is purposely chosen to support general development by promoting economic growth and social progress, among other pillars that ensure the thriving of societal development.
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Higher education is a multilayered field of endeavour. Existing therein are all tertiary institutions of learning, comprising monotechnics, polytechnics, colleges of education, centres of excellence in research and universities, among other tertiary structures and not forgetting higher education programmes. They are solely established to enable the production of new knowledge through skills, innovation and value-based education. This is necessary to keep steering the affairs of the country towards betterment and advancement.
Growing recognition of the importance of the field, growth and diversification of Higher Education Institutions, the influence of technology, the influence of policy and politics, and the globalisation of higher education are among the major components that have and will continue to transform research and studies in the higher education discipline. To institutionalize its practice in full capacity, these components must be creatively streamlined into the higher education system.
Prof. Muftahu’s inaugural lecture comes at a time when the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Nigerian government are experiencing a diversity of opinions about the autonomy of universities, the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the allowances of lecturers and notably the ‘Japa syndrome’ that has infested the universities. By the day, resourceful researchers in Nigerian universities are looking forward to accessing lucrative greener pastures abroad. Hence, they are trooping en masse to other countries, leaving behind the slowly decaying and pathetic system.
According to Muftahu, “Certainly, governance issues in higher education play a significant role in developing higher education practice in Nigeria. The lack of promotion of evidence-based policies and programmes in higher education, as well as throughout the system, contributes to the difficulties in developing a strong pool of higher education researchers in Nigeria.” With the ‘Japa syndrome’ overwhelming the system, organising the strong pool of professionals dedicated to higher education research can be equated to a herculean task.
The new era of higher education can be achieved through institutionalising it as a professional practice and a field of study in Nigeria. And doing that surely needs a redefined and robust approach. Some of the critical areas that should be highly prioritised to elevate the status quo of higher education include higher education research and policy development, leadership, professional practice, a national strategic action plan and the establishment of a national institute for higher education research.
Higher education is a holistic collection of programmes and institutions that serve as a think tank for every nation’s development. In advanced countries and developing ones like the US, Malaysia, Singapore, etc., higher education proudly supports decision-making at all levels of governance and public engagement with research and innovation. With the institutionalising of higher education using the key aspects, they’ve been able to achieve a phenomenal transformation in societal development.
For Muftahu, “Without a doubt, a country’s overall development is dependent on the strength of its higher education system, which is heavily reliant on the presence and contributions of higher education professionals”. But, adapting to the contemporary practices of advancing higher education in Nigeria is definitely going to be a tricky endeavour.
In fact, with the current hike in university tuition, the tertiary education system is deterring youth from pursuing careers. This will also stagnate the development of a pool of resourceful higher education professionals that can ably streamline global best practices in the country’s education sector.
Nigerians are always on the search by global companies, and research institutes, among other prominent organisations courtesy of their revered knowledge and unique abilities. A strategic national higher education roadmap is desperately needed to save the experts from trooping out of our country.
It is high time to stop the dramatic display of theatrics by the Nigerian government in respect to higher education matters, with evidence-based policies at institutional and national levels. These policies and programs can only be achieved by acknowledging the importance of skilled professionals in pursuing higher education excellence and values.
Na’abba is a content writer at Skyline University Nigeria (SUN). She is also a communication researcher and freelance writer
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