Achievers University, Owo, Ondo
State recently held a grant writing workshop aimed at attracting
resources and disseminating staff’s research findings for global
relevance. Its stakeholders explained to Funmi Ogundare why academic
staff’s capabilities and capacities have to be sharpened through such
engagement
For three days, members of the academia
at Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State converged on the
Trinity Hall
for the 2019 grant writing workshop, designed to boost their capacities
and that of the institution, as well as proffer solutions to problems
confronting the society.
The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman
Governing Council, Dr. Bode Ayorinde, who declared the workshop open,
emphasised the importance of tapping into research funds, adding that
through that one, can break the jinx of poverty.
He added that the establishment of the university was a product of implementing research findings.
“When I was doing my PhD programme,
during research, I discovered that there was nothing in the topic that
was approved for me and I decided to veer into areas where there were
serious challenges which led to the publication of a book I wrote on
‘Banking Reform in Nigeria’. Research is about identifying challenges
and problems and trying to find out their causes and proffering
solutions to human crisis.”
He told THISDAY that a university should
not just be about chalk and duster, but about instruction, research and
community service, adding: “In this university, we are doing
excellently well in teaching and community service, but we need to
buckle up in the area of research.”
Asked why it took the university so long
since its establishment 11 years ago to organise the workshop, Ayorinde
said: “Eleven years is not awkward in the lifespan of a university.
Oxford University is about 900 years old. Rome was not built in a day.
When you start a university, there are certain challenges that come with
it. You will have to convince the regulatory agency that you are
stabilised in undergraduate studies before going into postgraduate which
is a research level. So we are now breaking into international research
grants and proffering solutions which is the whole purpose of starting a
university, it is better to start well than rushing it.”
On its biggest achievement so far, he
said: “Establishing the university itself is an achievement against all
odds. In spite of all the challenges we have faced, we are fast getting
established and staff paid regularly. The enrolment has also increased
tremendously. We decided two years ago that we are not going to expand
the number of programmes in a hurry. The 20 programmes that we have, we
want to get them properly financed and established.
“The National Universities Commission
(NUC) approved 40 programmes for us, but we are running 20 now
satisfactorily. When we celebrate our 15th anniversary, we will add
another five to it. We have awarded scholarship to discerning students
and our graduates who are high flyers are also retained with incentives.
We have about four of them in our academic.”
The Chairman, Linkage Committee,
Professor Ibiyinka Solarin said since private universities now have the
opportunity to access TETFund, the workshop was coming at the right time
when its academic staff can build their capacity and competence to
produce globally relevant students that are prepared to serve humanity.
He said this can only be achieved if the
lecturers are equipped with skills in grant writing to attract money to
themselves and the university; build their careers; link with their
colleagues globally and proffer solutions to the society, adding that
the three-day workshop will give them the confidence to access grants
and look for resources globally.
Speaking on the academic collaboration
with Alabama University, US for research, undergraduate, postgraduate
studies and staff development, Solarin said the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) has been signed by the vice- chancellors of both
institutions which will impact development and enhance the quality of
education.
“Within the ambit of this collaboration,
students who graduate from Achievers University have been offered a
home status at Alabama A and M University, Normal, Alabama, USA. From
the level of master’s degree, graduands of Achievers University will pay
instate tuition fees, a savings of over 60 per cent over fees paid by
other international students. They will also be supported with other
provision grants, accommodation, research and general well-being during
the course of study at the institution.”
For the institutions, the chairman said
the collaboration will present an opportunity for joint research in
areas of interest to both parties such as faculty exchanges, accessing
grants and writing joint proposals.
“There are vast amount of money out
there looking for opportunities to meet ideas. That is the whole essence
of Achievers University stepping up after 11 years for funds.”
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tunji
Ibiyemi, who spoke on the backdrop on why research findings usually end
up on the shelf, stated that the philosophy of a university is for its
professors to solve their immediate problems rather than abandoning it
to solve other people’s problems.
According to him, “you can establish
your own company rather than waiting for people to implement your
research findings and be producing. It is even a plus that government is
not responding to your research findings. A successful researcher can’t
be a poor man because we are in a knowledge-based economy; he would be
the first beneficiary of his research. It is the outcome of his research
that will transform his life. For instance, what made Professor Wole
Soyinka outstanding is quality research outcome.”
He expressed confidence about the
academic staff being equipped at the workshop saying since some of them
already had the experience in writing research proposal, they could
impact their knowledge on others.
“I am a researcher. Presently, I have
TETFund research proposal to design and build a remote sensing micro
satellite. We need to brush up people who are just coming in, it’s a
continuous exercise to train and retrain others till they perfect how to
write a proposal. I am so confident that the three days is enough to
prepare us. When I leave the university system, I am starting my own
business based on the outcome of my research,” the VC said.
Emphasising on the collaboration, he
said his university plans to extend the same to other universities in
Nigeria, adding that the process of solving problems is universal.
“Alabama University has been exposed to
solving problems for many years; we picked them because they have been
doing well in some key areas that they want to focus on here. But it is
better to start with those who have made it so that they can pull us
up.”
Asked how his institution has been
bridging the gap between the industry and academia, he said the focus of
establishing a university is to maintain the teaching and production
phase for the industry, adding that it has been developing human
capital.
He expressed concern that once its
products are sent to the industries, there is no feedback from the
industry to serve as corrective measure for better result, adding that
in developed countries, the industry and academia draw up curriculum
that will be used by institutions of learning.
“When our products go out, they serve as
inputs to the industry and you assume that what you have taught them is
what the industry needs. That is open loop control which is not that
efficient. Unfortunately there is no feedback from the industry, but
when you have that loop coming back, you can use it as corrective
measure to train them towards getting the right result in the industry.
“In Britain for instance, the academia
and industry draw up the curriculum. With that you can be sure that you
are doing well and there is continuous feedback from the industry. It is
a dynamic system. That is our problem here; there is a gulf between the
academia and the industry. We are not producing graduates for our
consumption, but for the economy so that they will function well. Until
we maintain a close loop control system, there will be a challenge,”
Ibiyemi stressed.
A Professor of Counselling Psychology,
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Olubukola Ojo, who was a
resource person at the workshop, said there are many international
grants that are unaccessed and that there is need for ideas coming from
institutions to conform with the objectives of the grantees or donor
agencies so as to attract funding for research.
“Once an institution is able to secure
funds for research, then you will be able to secure your laboratory and
innovations that will make life better for the society. The students
will also be exposed to up-to-date ways of doing researches and
innovations; and even have the opportunity to disseminate their findings
globally to enhance development.”
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