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By Daniel Kanu
Vice Chancellor of Dominican University, Samonda, Ibadan, Professor Jacinta Opara is an erudite educationist, who is understandably concerned about the inadequate funding of the country’s Education sector. In this interview, she speaks critical national issues including the nation’s leadership, what she will tell Tinubu if she meets him. She also delves into challenges Dominican University is facing, and why federal government should consider private varsities for support under the TETFund and NELFund intervention programmes of the government, among other issues.
What is the position of the university on the issue of not accommodating private universities under the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) intervention programme of the Federal Government?
Thank you very much for this very important and serious issue. The debate or issue of money from TETFund to citizens in private institutions is an ongoing one and we are still on that battle. If I were to meet the president of Nigeria today, I will say to the president: “Please include the private university staff and students in the disbursement of these funds.” The government should especially consider the staff of private universities in TETFund because our academic staff members also need grants.
We need grants to be able to attend conferences, publish our academic journals and funds for many other things. These grants coming from TETFund will be very helpful in the development of the university infrastructure as well as the development of the staff.
It is also important and beneficial to include students of private universities in the Nigerian Students Loan Fund (NELFund). When they are included as beneficiaries of NELFund, students in private universities can equally have access to funds by way of loans like other students in public universities.
Staff members of private universities and their students are not different individuals, we are also Nigerian citizens and we believe that whatever others are benefiting in the public universities should also be of benefit to the staff and students of private universities.
What makes Dominican University different; what stands your university out?
It is our training and our handling of our students. Our students are trained, unlike in other universities. We train them in a holistic approach whereby they are trained academically, socially, emotionally, and morally. It makes us unique. These qualities make our university outstanding.
I wouldn’t like to tell what is happening in the society today but we are confident that when you are looking for a person to work with, you will have to go for the best. We are also confident that what we have given you as our student is really what that person is. I remember a student that was interviewed who said she had two second-class (upper) honours degrees, but we found that she had nothing in her head, so to speak. If we are to say the truth, what it meant was that she was able to manipulate her ways to get the degrees but at the end of it all, she realised that there was nothing in her head.
But for us the kind of students we have in this university, whatever certificate we are presenting to them is what they are and what they deserve and, like I said, we train them to be sound academically, socially, morally and emotionally. These are the outstanding things employers are looking for. No reasonable employer will employ someone who cannot defend his or her certificate, because at the end of it all the person will mess up their organisation.
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As much as you give students sound education in a holistic manner as I said, you will know and be assured that such students would be self-reliant because they have undergone proper tutelage. So, it is not just about making money but ensuring that when your student says ‘I have Second Class Upper’ you are sure that that is what it is.
What has your experience been like since you came to the Dominican University?
Having grown in academics and having been through academic and administrative leadership in various universities, both public and private, and having also attained the position of Professor, I think the experience has helped a great deal in the discharge of my duties as the Vice Chancellor of Dominican University. I happen to be a very versatile person, especially when it comes to the higher education landscape.
When I also consider the workers here, I have found them to be a set of unique people in a unique place. We have unique students and staff members. We have a crop of staff members—human resources—who are vastly experienced, and who are capable, and have been through what can be described as storms and emerged stronger. They make this place stronger and to stand firm no matter what comes. Together with me, they have made this place stand against all odds. So, no matter what, we are capable to keep making this place grow better.
Throw more light on some of the challenges of the institution and what you tend to achieve.
One of the things I want to achieve is to create the awareness that this is a full university and not a Catholic institute. It’s a big challenge because most people think this is a Catholic institution where we just come to study philosophy and perhaps train Catholic Father’s. People should come to our university to see the beauty and to know that it is like every other good university. Apart from that, in terms of research and publication, over the years, I have been organizing conferences. I am very much deep into issues concerning research and publication. I want to help make sure that our staff are being motivated the more to go into research, into publication and also to have collaboration with other institutions. The truth is that we are keeping to the vision, mission and philosophy of our great institution. We are striving to be a university that will assist Nigeria to achieve the greatness her potential warrants. This is because the Dominican education promotes excellence in academics and character. Our focus is to transform Nigeria’s ethnic and religious diversity from a liability to an asset because our Dominican education is driven by specific core values to be a driving force for national integration and development. The principle that human and social development is rooted in intellectual, ethical and technical formation is part of our driving philosophy. For us, the objective is to provide education for all persons without distinction, race, creed, gender, political conviction or physical disability. Ours is to provide high standard of learning, research, acquisition of specialised skills and comprehensive training of students, empowering them to foster practical application of knowledge and skill to the benefit of humanity. Also, returning to your question, one of the greatest challenges is finance. If we have more money, we will put more infrastructure on the campus and we will give more scholarship to indigent students.
If you were to meet President Bola Tinubu, aside the TETFund issue, what is that other thing you would tell him?
As I noted earlier, I will plead with him to reconsider and approve private universities to also benefit from TETFund as well as NELFund. He is the father of all. I will also quickly tell him that that there is hardship in the land and that he should rise to the challenge.
Looking at Nigeria what do you think is the problem with the country? Some say it’s leadership, some say it’s the system of government that we are operating. Where do you stand?
I don’t want to think that leadership is the problem, no. I just want to say that the problem of Nigeria is our value system. Our value system is the problem because we know that in our culture today if you have money your people don’t want to know how you made the money, they don’t care, they don’t even think about integrity again, they will now give you chieftaincy title. Whenever you want to talk they will accord you all the respect and they will even tell the one that doesn’t have money but has morals to sit down; they can even take the microphone from the person and give it to the rich person. The simple fact is that our value system has been eroded and respect is now for those who are acquiring more money without considering honesty, integrity and hard work. Our value system has affected everything, every part of our culture and every part of who we are. These leaders we are talking about are they not part of us? They are you and I, our brothers and sisters. Not until we change our value system will things change. We need to change our orientation to know that there is something called integrity whereby a person should be valued in the work the person is doing rather than rating people just on what they have, even when they got it through corrupt means.
There are people that have helped their communities in their development so all is not necessarily about money. Let me give you an instance. In olden days teachers were heavily valued, not because they had money but they had credibility, integrity, respect and they impacted on their community positively. They helped in bringing up our children, they had that respect, but today, teachers are not respected because respect now is based on money, on how much wealth you have acquired, it is now all about if you are rich and all that and not integrity. So, with that orientation it has eaten deep into us that whoever that goes there as a leader all he thinks about is that I want my people to recognize me, so he can steal to acquire wealth. Whoever that goes there wants to be the all and all to acquire money no matter how, and exercise power and achieve his dreams. So, it has become like a chain from one person to the other as leadership has lost focus from integrity, hard work, capacity and respect. In all it is about a re-orientation of our value system and unless we do that we will continue to walk in circles.
