ACQUIRING EDUCATION IS NOT A PRIVILEGE BUT A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT – PROF. BENSON M. AKINNAWONU
Prof. Benson M. Akinnawonu is the current Dean of the Postgraduate School, Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba- Akoko (AAUA). He spoke with Ayodele Ologunola on some national issues. Excerpts.
How did you find yourself in the teaching profession?
Since my early days, I’ve developed a passion for education because I had an uncle that was an undergraduate at the Obafemi Awolowo University at that time. His name is Professor Enisan Anthony Akinlo, the incumbent Vice Chancellor of Redeemers University, Ede in Osun-State. He is my mentor and I have been aspiring to be someone like him which has helped me tremendously toward acquiring higher education.
If we compare the past features of education to the current features of education, have there been any changes?
Of course, there are a few significant changes. For instance, in the past, young ones were duly motivated and committed to acquiring education because there was this vision then that once you were able to graduate from higher institutions, the opportunity to be gainfully employed was assured. Thus, there was no problem of unemployment during our own time. Back then, we were all motivated and also serious-minded enough towards achieving our educational goals.
Comparing the past to the contemporary period we are now, the motivation has gone down because the youths no longer possess any inspiration. Many have graduated years ago with no job to show for it, and this has affected their zeal. Many have taken to unwholesome practices, there are moral decadence and evil practices, and these have negatively affected the progress of our country. Lives and properties are no longer safe. Thus, looking at it from the area of employment opportunities, things are not the same.
Furthermore, the parents then were highly disciplined and had time for their children, but today, probably because of business, how to make ends meet, and social and political engagements, parents no longer have time for their children. Some parents dump their wards in boarding schools right from Nursery to the University level. The only thing they care about is satisfying their wards financially believing everything is about money. The parents part in instilling and imparting moral values into the children in order to become useful to the society at large has been adversely affected. That is why there is high moral decadence in the society nowadays than in the past because parents and guardians no longer have adequate time for the proper upbringing of their wards.
Another aspect is the bad influence of our leaders. Our past leaders such as late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Michael Adekunle Ajasin, Alvan Ikoku, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, etc, all dedicated their lives to serving their people. Their vision was to provide cardinal programs for economic, social and political development of their countries.
In recent time, political leaders care more about their personal needs than communal welfare and this has adversely affected the standard of living of the people. Some parents can no longer pay the school fees of their children, even the salaries of those that are gainfully employed are no longer forthcoming like before.
What do you think the government can do towards providing solutions to the causes and effects of the lack of educational motivation that you made mentioned earlier?
Now that a new national government has emerged, there appears to be a ray of hope. I believe that with the vision and renewed hope mantras of the incumbent president of this country, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCON, and if the principal bodies constituting the legislative arms of government can work together to support him, I believe the cankerworm called corruption can be eradicated.
On the issue of insecurity, the President needs the help of the National Assembly to be able to make laws to support and uphold the newly emplaced security architecture of the country.
Government is to properly fund education because some authorities of higher Institutions have published unprecedented hikes in school fees. Acquiring Education is not a privilege but a fundamental right. Awolowo said and I quote; “If you want to assess the quality of a country, find out the percentage of literates she has.”
It is the educated people in the country that will drive the vision of the country. The moment a few illiterates and untrained set of people hijack power and continue to dictate the pace of development, it will not augur well with everybody. Thus, the government should endeavor to pump money into education and ensure that all necessary infrastructural needs are met rather than creating more universities that cannot stand the test of time..
Recently, the new federal government announced educational loans for students; some are against it, while some are for it. What is your view on this?
There is no policy that does not have side effects. I will start with those that are against the policy. For instance, in foreign countries, particularly UK, they have the data of those that collected student loans and could not pay back. May be because of worry or anxiety, which has resulted in depression, some have committed suicide, that is the argument of ASUU, and truly, we must continue to learn from the experience of foreign countries. But as far as I’m concerned, I was privileged to be in Southern Africa and I taught in the National university of Lesotho, Roma in 2014.
The government has been practicing this policy for long and I have not heard of people committing suicide there. The policy states that “Throughout your stay in the university, the government will pay your school fees and give you money for upkeep, when you finish and as soon as you take up your employment letter, the government will start deducting the money.”
The one the government introduced in Nigeria will still give an allowance for two years. By the time the students finished their studies and are gainfully employed, the government will not start deducting the money until after two years, which is still very fair. I do not see any justifiable reason why an individual should commit suicide for inability to pay back a loan.
I am totally in support of the student loan program because it will help cater for the academic needs of students from poverty-stricken homes who cannot afford to sponsor themselves in school. Also, as an honest person, if you take a loan, you should be able to pay it back, the only way you might not be able to pay back is if you are not employed and the government will not even crucify you for that. I am sure that the governments will not fold their arms while they watch the students they loaned not being gainfully employed, they will find ways to accommodate them in order for them to recover their money.
There is this other argument that instead of loans, why is it that the government cannot give students grants? I’m in support of that too. Before, the three tiers of government usually make provisions of scholarships for bright students. They should go back to doing that while it runs concurrently with loans because not all students will be bright enough to receive scholarship awards and bursaries. Bursary is just a palliative to relieve the pain of financial epilepsy. The government should resuscitate the bursary scheme. When these three schemes (Scholarship, Loan, and Bursary) run together, they will help to alleviate the suffering of the concerned students and their parents. Also, the students should be properly counseled to overcome the associated fear, tension, and panic that may happen when they are unable to pay back the loan in due time.
Recently, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko was rated as the best State University in Nigeria. What is the secret behind this success?
Adekunle Ajasin University has a vision, and over time, the incumbent Vice Chancellor, Professor Olugbenga E. Ige, has also keyed into that great vision of ensuring that this university becomes one of the leading universities in the world. This is to ensure that the university continues to produce graduates that will favourably be globally competitive when they get to the labour market. Every year, we send some of our lecturers overseas for further studies. This has helped in strengthening the teaching staff who in turn impact positively on the quality of our graduates. For instance, our Faculty of Law for the past seven years has been producing the best graduating law students at the Law School final bar examinations and this attests to the fact that in Adekunle Ajasin University, there are quality teachers. A University is not only known for its gigantic infrastructures and buildings but also for the quality of teaching and learning process that takes place there.
Some of the universities in Nigeria now are battling with the issue of cultism, but here in Adekunle Ajasin, such has never been heard. How has the university’s management been able to curb this menacing emergency?
I will mention just three perspectives concerning this question. First, upon admission, during the matriculation ceremony, there is this administration of oath the students are to compulsorily undergo in the presence of the Vice Chancellor, Registrar, and all other Principal Officers which constitute the University management. This is to affirm that Adekunle Ajasin University has zero tolerance for cultism, not only cultism but also all manner of unwholesome behaviors and moral decadence. During the matriculation, the students are made to pledge that they would be of good conduct throughout their stay in the university and as soon as anyone is caught behaving contrary to the oath and pledge, such student will be made to face disciplinary measures.
Furthermore, the students are already aware of what they can and cannot do. Likewise, we have some paramilitary organizations that are recognized and registered, e.g. Man O War, Cadets, etc. They help to support the university management in instilling discipline in the students, monitor their excesses, and tackle any form of unwholesome attitude from the students. They also ensure that the students do not hold illegal meetings or unlawful gatherings in the school premises. Few cult-related cases were reported in time past. The Management of the university rose up to the challenge through collaboration with the Law Enforcement Agencies in the State. Students of the institution, that were found wanting in the past, have been sanctioned or rusticated from the university in line with the university’s regulations.
Also, the institution has friendly host communities that usually intervene when any cult-related problem comes up outside the university campus.
As a Professor of Philosophy, can you tell us about your publications and how the publications have contributed to the progress of society?
I can’t mention them all because I have above 50 publications and some are in foreign Journals while others are in local journals, and I have textbook that the students are using “Introduction to Philosophy and Logic”. I have taught at several universities, and I’ve been an external examiner to many other universities. I am currently an External Examiner of the University of Ibadan, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, and Ambrose Ali University Ekpoma. Likewise, I used to visit Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and the University of Lagos as an external examiner for Master’s and Ph.D. Thesis.
Our students are now fond of using handsets and computers; they are no longer interested in the reading culture. What do you think can be done to salvage this situation?
There are two aspects to it. I will not believe that our reading culture is poor, but if you say students no longer visit the library to read, I agree with you. This is the 21st Century; an era that is dominated by science and technology. The use of Android phones and computers aids the teaching and learning process. In this regard, distance is no longer a barrier to education.
The other aspect that needs to be treated is the issue of motivation as I’ve said earlier. Many youths have lost the motivation to read, and consequently, the mindset of our youths needs to be reprogrammed to give them orientation that will make them value education. Also, the university should develop lecture modules. In the modules, there will be course outlines, course contents and references to be consulted. Course Lecturers are to give the students activities to be carried out as assignments to keep them busy. This will force them to read recommended texts. Rather than forcing the students back to the library, we should rather consider improving the E-learning process.
Can you say you’re fulfilled in your chosen career?
Yes, I am. I made mention of it on the day of my inaugural lecture. My inaugural lecture came up on the 9th of February, 2021 at the Obasanjo Multipurpose Hall at Adekunle Ajasin University (AAUA), Akungba- Akoko, Ondo State. The title was “The Philosophical Spirit in the Quest for African Sustainable Development: The Imperative of Indigenous Knowledge Forms”. This year will be my 32nd year of lecturing and I have impacted positively upon several lives. Some of my students are now Professors, Deans of Faculty, even in this university.
So when you see your products doing well in various fields, you will be happy. Some of them attended my Inaugural Lecture and when I saw them, I felt fulfilled. My publications are being consulted all over the world. For four years, I was the National Vice President of the Philosophers Associations of Nigeria. I have also been privileged to be two terms member of the Governing Council of Adekunle Ajasin University. My vision is to reach the pinnacle of my career, and that came to pass when I became a Professor in the year 2012.
In conclusion, what are your words of advice for the entire students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko?
My word of advice to the students is to live up to the oath they have taken upon admission into the university. They should also face their studies squarely and remain worthy ambassadors of the institution, namely, acquiring global skills in critical thinking and innovation that will enable them to solve contemporary problems and above all, to be worthy in character and learning.
