How Bowen varsity obtained accreditation for medical programme, by Olagbemiro
BOWEN University recently obtained approval for its College of Medicine. The Vice Chancellor, Prof Timothy Oyebode Olagbemiro, who is also the Chairman, Committee of Vice Chancellors and Registrars of Private Universities, recently spoke with MARY OGAR on the process that led to it and other issues. Excerpts
Bowen University has just obtained accreditation for its medical programme. How did you achieve this?
The accreditation is an indication that the university is worthy of the recognition and it also means the university is fully prepared in terms of facility and manpower. We endeavoured to fulfill all the conditions and guidelines and the accreditation comes from both the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). They visited our teaching hospital and gave us the exact specifications of facilities and manpower needed to obtain the approval. We complied within five months after the two earlier visits.
In all, it took us a year to secure the accreditation. The university has embarked on infrastructural development and provision of facilities at the Bowen University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), formerly known as the Baptist Medical Centre, Ogbomosho. But we are not resting on our oars.
What makes Bowen University different from others?
Bowen is a faith-based university, instilling the fear of God in its students. It is a beacon of hope to the students and we inculcate Godliness in our curriculum. The focus of the University is to combine academic excellence with Godliness and that is the main reason students are trained to be godly and upright.
The attitude of leadership is also one key area that Bowen University focuses on, to develop sound moral doctrines in our students. Parents have observed these unquantifiable roles in shaping the lives of their children, beyond academic development.
What do you could be done to enhance the quality of education in the country?
There should be a way to checkmate the increasing rate of students’ population, which do not match the facilities on ground For us, we have decided not to exceed 5000, to keep Christian values and Godly excellence. Students should learn under a comfortable and habitable learning environment.
When we say the students are leaders of tomorrow, we should provide education for them in an atmosphere devoid of distractions and evil. I want to see a situation, whereby students have a sense of ease in the academic environment. This has great impact on their mental state. Students should have well equipped libraries and access to basic facilities. When all these are done, the quality of the teaching process is enhanced and this will ultimately reflect in the students.
Another area that can enhance quality of education is the abolition of part time programmes. The core business of the university is educating the undergraduates and the system cannot run full time and part time degrees together. Hence, it is more important for the University to face its core business, which is focusing on the undergraduates. It is important for university administrators to focus on quality education and not quantity.
A University should have reached an advanced stage before awarding diplomas. My university in the United States never exceeded 3,000 in terms of population and the university has been in existence for several decades. I am the Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Registrars of Private Universities and I have made my points known to my colleagues. They all agreed that part time degrees are not necessary because universities, which cannot run full time programmes, are running part time programmes.
The National Universities Commission (NUC) recently sanctioned some universities. What is your take on this?
The NUC is a regulatory body that ensures that universities maintain standards. When you fall short, NUC deals with you. They have been to our school several times. The NUC has accredited all our programmes as we do not offer programmes not approved.
Some universities have campuses outside which is not acceptable. NUC was right in sanctioning the universities. There is no need to flout Federal Government’s regulations. NUC gives the standard for all universities to follow. I must also commend the present Executive Secretary who has helped private universities a lot.
From your experience, how should universities maintain academic standard?
The basic thing is that each university should have a system in place to ensure continuous monitoring and ensuring adherence to professional and academic standards.
It is not only about having a policy, but there should be continuous monitoring and enforcement. For us at Bowen, we established the Protocol and Courtesy Unit in the university. It adds value to the university by ensuring that the vision and philosophy of the university are maintained. The unit maintains law and order in the university and ensures proper dressing, comportment and etiquette amongst students and staff.
We also have the monitoring group with members who are PhD degrees holders. This group oversees the examinations and quality of teaching in the university and they are referred to as the Quality Assurance Group. The quality of teaching and adherence to standards are evaluated in line with the vision of the university. When every university focuses on acceptable standards, the quality of learning will never drop. There should be consistency in policy formulation and evaluation, which will yield enormous results with the performance of not only the students but the rating of the universities as well.
What is the way forward for education in Nigeria?
The truth is that the base of the students is weak and something concrete should be done to improve the quality of undergraduate education. The Higher School Certificate (HSC) programme is one veritable area to achieve this objective and it should be re-introduced to revamp the educational sector.
Students offering Medicine should obtain a first degree in the science to prepare them, after which they can now go to the medical school and get matured to become good Doctors in Nigeria. Students should reach a matured age before entering the higher institution. A lot still needs to be done in terms of policy for our educational system. There is the need for us to change a lot of things concerning our educational system. Students secure admission into the university without the commensurate experience and maturity.
Students should pass through the HSC programme, which is very tough, before gaining university admission. The system also needs more teachers, even as more universities are required. Higher institutions like the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Nigeria Nsukka and the University of Benin should be focused on training students for Post Graduate Programmes and they should be well funded. This should be the role of the older universities in order to enhance the quality of education in the country.
