OPINION: The University and Education Agenda, By Rev. Fr. Chika Okpalike

When John Cardinal Newman wrote the Corpus – The Idea of a University – in 1854, he was merely concerned about the influence of the Church on university education in Europe. It was difficult for the Church to give up formal education to the evading secularism having nursed and administered it since the 11th century. Even as he was wrestling that education from the unnecessary influence of the Church and leaning more to the trending secularism, he was at the same time creating an academic community that will be independent of the wider society, a society of ideals, discoveries and innovations, a community in a community, having its systems as ideal for the larger society.

In Nigeria, it is commonplace to understand the purpose of university education to be the production of high level manpower for the economic and socio-political development of the state. In other words, university education certifies the readiness of an attendee for the labour market where he/she fits. Very many people attend the university to qualify for the labour market. Consequently the paper qualification issued at the end of the university training (in character and learning) become so much coveted that the student can give anything to grab it and the university dons can demand anything to qualify one for it. As a result of this cheap way of understanding university education, through time, our universities began to employ academic misfits and qualify unemployable graduates because their trainers were more interested in giving them the qualifying papers than qualifying them for jobs.

The university is often referred to as the ‘Ivory Tower’.  In the Songs of Songs, Solomon referred to the exceptional beauty of his love with the words “Your neck is like an ivory tower”. That is to say, out of the world, unimaginable beauty. An ivory tower is an out-of-the-world fortified and secluded area from the ordinary and common particularities of life. So in the Catholic Church, the Blessed Virgin Mary is referred to as “Tower of Ivory”. An Ivory Tower is a fortification like no other; an ideal location where life affords the best because the best is crafted for it.

In the first place, the university is much more than a clearing house for the labour market; much more than a formation house for a morally healthy society. The university is the engine and store house of knowledge, culture, ideas and innovations. It is the territory of the serene, fine and intelligent minds trained into the natural disposition to sacrifice for the development of the society. In the Ivory Tower, jobs are generated through organization. If the jobs are not created in the university, it cannot be found outside of it and for any job created, there are bound to be a link of value chains. How may jobs be created?

There are very many problems confronting the country, how can they be solved outside the university and how can they be solved without jobs created out of them? Our government should learn how to bring the university on board religious, social, political, infrastructural challenges instead of relying on contractors. Even if contractors are going to be used, let the solutions be generated from our ivory towers. Investing in education may not just be paying salaries and allowances as and when due, awarding bursaries or investing in infrastructure; it includes charging the institutions with the responsibility of proffering solutions to the problems of our society. For instance if water is a problem, can government invest on the professors of Hydro-geology, who may in turn use their post-graduate students to bring solutions which could be perfected through time instead of relying on some Chinese, Lebanese, Indian, European or American expatriates.

University dons in Nigeria seek for research grants outside the shores of this country, work for other countries but do not have space to do as much for Nigeria. How do we develop home-grown solutions, recycle our wealth and invest on our human resources if we do not properly engage our Ivory Towers? In other climes, post-graduate studies are not paid for directly by students; they get grants, government invest on them because their research is of value.

In Anambra State, for instance, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze and Anambra State Polytechnic, Mgbakwu are enough to generate solutions to infrastructural deficit, cultural-religious crisis, water scarcity, electricity generation, poor medical services, political ineptitude and so many problems bedevilling Anambra State. The government simply need to figure out ways of partnering with these citadels of learning instead of wasting money on frivolities and investing on hungry and grabbing contractors whose only agenda is to have their own cut of the non-existent ‘national cake’. When these institutions of higher learning are not given their rightful place, when they are not charged with their proper responsibilities, academic dons turn into contractors, spend their time and brains in figuring out what next to do to make more money even if it means compromising the future of students or exploiting them; students will continue to go to school for the wrong reasons and education produce more misfits than we already have. This is all it includes to make education the priority of government. Education will be functional, pragmatic and valuable to the society for which that education is designed.