Nigeria's Education need collaboration with foreign counterparts- Education Minister

The Federal Ministry of Education says the internationalisation of higher education through partnerships and collaborations is cardinal to ensuring and maintaining the quality and relevance of Nigeria’s tertiary education system, especially universities.

Adamu 

The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said on Monday in Lagos this at the opening of the maiden University of Lagos (UNILAG) International Week.

The theme of the event is: “Education in a Connected World”.

NAN reports that Adamu was represented by Dr Chris Miyaki, an official of the National Universities Commission (NUC).

He said that universities must now, more than ever, take deliberate measures to key into available opportunities for linkages and cooperation with their foreign counterparts, if they were to remain globally competitive.

According to the minister, no country in the world can do it all alone.

“Our institutions of higher learning must, out of necessity, demonstrate those attributes that make them truly international entities.

“The poor global ranking of Nigerian universities, the absence of directorates of internationalisation in most universities, the untapped roles of the alumni, including those in the Diaspora and the poor synergy among our universities came under scrutiny at a recent retreat.

“The retreat was organised by the NUC for directors of international offices/development on the subject of internationalisation of university education in Nigeria.

“The objective of that retreat was to ascertain the challenges of internationalisation with a view to seeking appropriate and enduring solutions as well as encouraging innovations among Nigerian universities through international partnerships,’’ he said.

The minister further stressed the need for the country’s universities to adopt emerging technologies, especially quality management learning system which, among others, could enhance students’ learning experience.

He assured that government would continue to do its best to improve on the current ecosystem.

According to him, the NUC would be supported to sustain the drive towards creating viable international portfolios in Nigerian universities and other arms of the federal ministry of education.

Adamu urged Unilag to take full advantage of the international week and leverage on the promising opportunities implicit in the programme.

“I enjoin you to you to embrace the outcome statement from this event to put in place measures and mechanisms that will attract and retain international students and faculty, as concomitants that will make this university truly international and globally-competitive,’’ he said.

Earlier, Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), noted that the university remained Nigeria’s pride, adding that the event was an additional feather to its cap.

According to him, it is a thing of commendation for the university to get to bring together its partners from across the world.

“To show the importance of education today, we must continue to ensure and support this kind of gathering.

“ The theme of this gathering is ‘Education in a Connected World’ and I believe that education must be given a new era of its connection.

“It should be education for interconnected world, because no nation, no matter how powerful it thinks of itself, can do it all alone.

“It has to lean on one another’s shoulder; it has to synergise for us to have the type of education that can be useful for the contemporary world.

“If this is the case, the internalisation of education is not just international. Part of internationalisation is local, because, without internalising internationalisation of education, we will be wasting our energy and efforts,’’ he said.

According to the JAMB boss, the curriculum itself has to be internalised, adding that teachers, lecturers and the students must be prepared for global market.

“Therefore, we must come together and promote education that will be functional and useful for the development of humanity.

“Universities have realised that unless we re-invent ourselves and if we look at what is going on in some developed countries of the world today, people are no longer interested in higher education.

“They are staying away from it because higher education is becoming irrelevant to their personal and career development.

“Many people hold certificates without jobs; then, the question is.

 

Should we continue to acquire certificates that are not used?