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By Gabriel Dike
The immediate past vice-chancellor of University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has tasked Nigerian universities to embrace a paradigm shift from the old ideas of how universities operates to new ideas in the 21st century.
He stressed that, since the beginning of the 20th century, the rate of change has accelerated in various fields with the term ‘acceleration of history’ commonly used to describe this phenomenon.
Ogundipe, who delivered a lecture at the first matriculation of the Alethia University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, said, “Today we are living in a world that is constantly transforming” and universities must embrace new ideas.
The lecture, titled “Paradigm Shift University Education: The Alethia University Ago-Iwoye Perspective,” said paradigm shift requires a gradual process, evolutionary and piecemeal.
According to him, the new ideas for university education, would lead to authentic, fulfilling experience, and greater success for students and learners everywhere.
He noted that, like a leap from Newtonian physics to quantum mechanics revolutionized the understanding of the universe, universities must encourage the redefinition of beliefs and perspectives on higher education.
“By adjusting and changing perspectives, we should transition from old paradigms to new ones, encouraging groundbreaking viewpoints like moving from a 20th century exclusionary approach to higher education to a 21st century inclusionary model where the getting in, getting through and getting out framework of linear educational institution can efficiently be substituted, reconsidered, and adapted to provide individual and professional success for all learners globally,” he said.
Ogundipe acknowledged that inspiring innovation was one of the tools to embrace novel methods and techniques that could revolutionize the approach to university education.
He advised universities to let go of outdated beliefs and embrace new ideas and paths “as we begin to close the door in the first quarter of the 21st century.”
The former VC observed that many colleges and universities were already opening their doors to some of these changes, fostering creativity and discovery to unleash a wave of innovation and progress.
On traditional methods of teaching, he noted, “as we are in the 21st century, it demands changes in the traditional education and old education system to cope with the modern time. Teachers are now trying to apply the best method of teaching for students to make them meet their needs in a meaningful way.
“Today, the scenario of the classroom has been changing, students are no longer being treated as the target audience, instead, they take active participation in the classroom and learning. Teachers allow them to speak and ask questions about what they teach. Over the years, teaching styles and methods have been changing.
“The traditional way of educating in which memorisation and recitation methods are used has been replaced by interactive methods.”
Ogundipe said in modern teaching methods, teachers teach every student on a different level and do not consider everyone one.
The former VC added that teachers assume that all students are different and apply different educational practices to them individually, “they consider the needs of every student and deliver accordingly.”
“Unlike old education, progressive teaching methods are based on activity, questioning, explaining, demonstrating and using collaboration techniques.”
In his remarks, the founder of Alethia University, Ago-Iwoye, Major General Sansadeen Awosanya (retd), said the university would assist the new students to achieve their goals. He described the institution as a holistic environment designed to nurture and grow every facet of their well-being.
General Awosanya stated that the university provides unique and comprehensive academic, technological, entrepreneurial and social experiences that develop students’ mental, physical, social faculties.
His words: “At Aletheia University, we believe in technology, we believe in innovation, we believe in critical thinking, inquisitiveness and research as game changers.
“We will give you the appropriate training, teaching and methods to acquire the right skills that will assure your relevance nationally and internationally. We will deliberately challenge you to change the impossible to possible because we know that God has endowed you with the gumption to change the form and shape, to adapt and to adopt.”
He noted that the institution would afford the new students the opportunity to discover and acquire the right skills and knowledge to transform and lay a foundation for them to be useful to themself, their community and humanity in general.
“But we need your cooperation. You are implored to tighten your belt and board the train now because tomorrow might be too late.”
Awosanya, who is also the Chancellor of the university, acknowledged the cooperation of parents and guardians and told them that their children would lose some leisure hours to attain academic, entrepreneurial, and social/moral upgrading.
