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The Vice-Chancellor, Christopher University, Ogun State, Prof. Friday Ndubuisi, speaks about why research in higher institutions of learning is still at low ebb in this interview with FOLASHADE ADEBAYO

What are the challenges the new university is facing?
The challenges include being acclimatised to the environment and building confidence in parents and guardians. We also want to ensure that our facilities are up to date and ready for takeoff. Parents and guardians want to inspect our facilities and they are right about that. They want to put their children in the best of universities with adequate security.  We have also been concerned about getting the right scholars, not just people who are looking for jobs.  You must have either a PhD or be a registered PhD student.

Your university seems to be an appendage of the University of Lagos. Why is this so?
That is not the case at all. We are under the mentorship of the University of Lagos, which is an official directive from the National Universities Commission. The NUC has devised a means to put new universities under the mentorship of old ones. University of London mentored the University of Ibadan. News universities are supposed to have affiliation to older ones. UNILAG is to be involved in the appointment of our governing council and the recruitment of our principal officers.   The mentorship started last year and we are taking off this September. UNILAG is to be involved during the commencement of any academic programme in our university in terms of quality assurance, among other things. Already, the UNILAG VC has set up a committee that has the deputy vice-chancellor, academics and research, as the chair.

Read More Punch Link : http://www.punchng.com/govt-not-giving-enough-challenges-varsities-unichris-vc/

Prof. Friday Ndubuisi is the Vice-Chancellor of Christopher University, a private university located in Mowe, Ogun State. The Professor of Philosophy speaks with MOJEED ALABI on some pertinent issues in the education system, including the cost of education, the admission crisis, and the proliferation of private universities, among others.

What is your take on the proliferation of private universities in the country in which some have been described as mushroom universities?

I want to believe that they mean proliferation by referring to the number of private universities springing up these days in the country. And, if I may ask how, many do we have compared to our population? The entire universities in Nigeria are still less than 170, accommodating less than half of the admission seekers.

And without the private universities, how many would the federal and state universities have accommodated? I was in the University of Lagos for many years and I know what we went through in terms of admission processes. Last year alone, about 33,000 candidates sat for the Post-UTME at the university and less than 7,000 were eventually offered admission.

New Telegraph: click to read more

Prof. Friday Ndubuisi is the Vice-Chancellor of Christopher University, a private university located in Mowe, Ogun State. The Professor of Philosophy speaks with MOJEED ALABI on some pertinent issues in the education system, including the cost of education, the admission crisis, and the proliferation of private universities, among others.

What is your take on the proliferation of private universities in the country in which some have been described as mushroom universities?

I want to believe that they mean proliferation by referring to the number of private universities springing up these days in the country. And, if I may ask how, many do we have compared to our population? The entire universities in Nigeria are still less than 170, accommodating less than half of the admission seekers.

And without the private universities, how many would the federal and state universities have accommodated? I was in the University of Lagos for many years and I know what we went through in terms of admission processes. Last year alone, about 33,000 candidates sat for the Post-UTME at the university and less than 7,000 were eventually offered admission.

New Telegraph: click to read more

Stories abound of private universities treating students as children, restricting movements, prescribing dress codes and even enforcing strict wake-up and bedtime regulations. How can character be built without infringing on the student’s rights?

The issue of freedom is a very serious issue in the civilized world. A university environment is a citadel of learning, where youths and adults alike learn things that they take out to the wider society. A university undergraduate is a leader in his/her right. So, it is important he imbibes a good orientation that pervades his/her consciousness. This is what informs his behavior and the impact he makes subsequently.

The issue of good discipline, knowing how to do the right thing at the right time is important, which includes dress code. There is a common saying that you should dress the way you want to be addressed. These virtues have to enter the subconscious of our youngsters at an early age so that they become their second nature. Having said that, we are advocates of human rights and freedom. But we promote freedom that goes with a high sense of responsibility. There is nowhere in the world that people enjoy absolute freedom, as every meaningful freedom goes with responsibilities. That is why men of reasons see freedom as a heavy burden and challenge. At Christopher University, we will treat our students with a measure of respect, but they must show reasonable standards of responsibility.

Guardian: click to read more