Filling gaps in education, public good and community for national development

Education has been identified as the most effective investment a country can make for the rapid development of its economic, political, social and human resources.

This was the submission of Professor Dhikru Adewale Yagboyaju from the Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan, during the presentation of a lecture titled: "The Nigerian University, Public Good and Community Development: a review of intersections", at the 2023 Distinguished Role Model Awards of Wings Schools, Iwo, Osun State.

While describing education as the greatest force that can bring about change in a positive direction, the Don added that "education, as used here, goes beyond the theoretical and literary aspects . It encompasses all forms of training, professional and entrepreneurial, formal and informal. Its origin is not limited to the West as there has been education in the East for as long as the West, if not longer. »

He noted that in Nigeria, the university is specifically expected to contribute to the production of high-level manpower in various professions, in line with national development requirements.

"Furthermore, university education in Nigeria should focus on inculcating community spirit in students through projects and action research. The concept of public good is broad and does not lend itself to a universal definition. For example, from an Aristotelian point of view, it is any act aimed at achieving or promoting the public interest, while Bentham and the utilitarian school will consider the public good or interest as the greater good for the greater number of citizens.

"In economics, the public good is viewed from the perspective of commodification. It is said to be a commodity or service that is made available to all members of a society who can afford it. 'buy,' he said.

Prof. Yagboyaju revealed that in Nigeria, community development has been described as part of the commitment to reducing inequalities, along with changing social conditions as a prerequisite for individual change.

He added that the key themes of the Nigerian model of community development are social justice, democracy, redistribution of power resources and decision making.

"It is important to note that the acquisition of material and physical infrastructure are elements of economic growth, which is an aspect of development. In addition to the physical and tangible aspects, development emphasizes intangible factors such as security of life and livelihood, access to affordable education and health services, among other important elements.

These rank highly in the annual United Nations (UN) Human Development Index (HDI) and the Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) among major international agencies focusing on the agenda of development.

“Nigeria is endowed with Community Development Associations (CDAs) in huge numbers so that there is hardly any place in the country without the existence of CDAs. For example, in Iwo , I am aware of the activities of the Iwo Board of Directors (IBOT) and the Ola Oluwa community, both of which involve Professor Olurode and his teams,” he said.

The Don, who lamented that times have changed and the situation is no longer the same as things have fallen apart, said the dire situation against the backdrop of declining public good and dwindling commitment to community development had been traced back to several factors.

He says, "The most common factors that have been put forward are the lack of adequate funding in the university system, which makes it difficult for universities to recruit and especially retain quality staff for learning and research, as well as the situation in the country prolonged encounter with the military regime A more complex narrative concerns the corruption of Nigerian society in general, which has created a mentality of plunder and gratuitous exploitation (abuse of privilege or profiteering) whatever situation people were in.

"To some extent, the university system has joined the rat race, it has lost sight of the essence of its existence: students, teaching and research, all of which are meant to be pursued for the public good. and the advancement of the community.It is not news that there are teachers who sexually harass female students.For example, in 2022, four professors and 14 others were fired for harassment in Nigerian universities.

“There were probably more in 2021, the year a second-generation university in Ile Ife became notorious for the number of professors implicated in sexual harassment cases. Whereas in Nigeria, the common thing is the harassment of female students, there are cases of male students being harassed by female teachers in other parts of the developed world.

"Other areas of malfeasance in the Nigerian university system include the commodification of academic pursuits through the sale of documents, sorting and offering...