Copyright nigeriancurrent
A retiring lecturer at the University of Lagos, Prof. Uchenna Udeani, has urged the federal and state governments to urgently improve condition of service for lecturers to sustain them and attract younger ones Udeani, a Professor of Science Education and immediate past Director of Distance Learning Institute, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. According to her, low morale among lecturers in public tertiary institutions, resignations and retirements by others, and lack of interest by younger ones are creating a huge gap in Nigeria’s tertiary education system. She described the situation as worrisome, urging that it should be addressed without delay in the interest of tertiary education development. “I joined the university system in 1982. I have been to four universities. Currently, I am seeing a workforce that is too demoralised, and I think that such demoralisation is seriously affecting the system. When we joined, we always had that bond, that friendship; we are always around to support and keep each other company, but these days, it is like the younger ones have much challenge of survival. They are thinking of transport fares, energy bills, children’s school bills and many more, yet salary is not changing.” She added that lecturers hardly had the right tools to do their jobs. “With that mindset, you cannot expect the best from them, and that is quite worrisome,” Udeani said. According to her, the low morale seems to be making younger lecturers not to show interest in their jobs, even when their attention is drawn to pursue or apply for grants. She said there was need for the governments to improve welfare packages of lecturers and other workers in public tertiary institutions. She said that such an action would halt resignations among professors in public universities in search of better opportunities. “As far as I am concerned, the current situation is toxic. As a Lecturer 1 or Lecturer 2, the university should be able to provide you with a laptop, a printer and a comfortable office, as a matter of necessity, to be doing your work because you deserve it. “Today, wherever you see any decent office, it is the lecturer who made it so, using his or her personal funds. Lecturers don’t get car loans, they cannot even attend conferences, whether local or international. Only a handful of them can afford to cater for the costs of all that are involved in such ventures if at all they were inevitable,” she said. She added that no meaningful impact could be made by poorly-treated intellectuals. Udeani who would disengage from public service next year, regretted that massive resignations of academics and lack of interest by others were creating a huge gap in Nigeria’s tertiary education system. “In my department alone, I guess all of us are in the professorial cadre. The younger ones have left, some professors have retired and more are retiring. People get promoted and no one is coming up. This calls for serious concerns. A lot needs to be done. “I perceive a situation whereby females would be more in the system than males. Similarly, at the primary education level, I do not think there are still males there. Same goes for secondary education If ever they are, they are extremely few,” she said.
