Good synergy between and among the various positions or bodies in tertiary institutions has been suggested as fundamental for the realization of the visions of universities in Nigeria.
The Registrar, University of Benin, Benin City, Mr Ademola Bobola advocated this in his presentation at the maiden retreat for the Council and Management of the Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti state.
In the paper, titled, “Desirable Synergy Between Council and Management for Maximum Achievement: Prospects and Challenges”, Bobola described education as the bedrock of any society as it is the strategy to national development.
According to him, he said, “education produces the qualitative human resources that drive the various sectors of the economy”.
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The university administrator identified tertiary education as the fundamental requirement for human capital development of a nation. “Tertiary education institutions are therefore established for the propagation, dissemination and application of knowledge through teaching, research and community service”.
Speaking on general concept of tertiary institutions, he said in Nigeria, they are established by Acts, Decrees and Laws which govern their operations. He explained that the laws and statues provide the framework for their administration which make provisions for the various tiers of authority and offices allocate responsibilities to each. The tiers of authority in tertiary institutions he enumerated include council, management and senate among others.
The university of Benin Registrar pointed out that tertiary institutions require extensive funding. Therefore, the laws establishing them give room for diverse ownership which put in place federal, state, and private owned tertiary institutions.
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He identified types of tertiary institutions as conventional universities, specialized universities, inter-university centers, colleges of education, polytechnics / monotechnics and others.
He observed that challenges of implementation of certain responsibilities could be subjective rather than objective. This he attributed to human nature, stressing that due to personal interests or conflicts certain decisions may not be acceptable to others. This situation he condemned as it will generate some bad blood in the system.
The guest speaker posited that to ensure a harmonious working relationship across board, there is need to embrace synergy with a view to realizing the vision of the university.