Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof Idowu Olayinka, has called on universities to provide favourable environment for postgraduate students to carry out their research.
Delivering the keynote address at the 57th Meeting of the Committee of Deans of Postgraduate Schools (CDPGS) in universities at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Olayinka said universities should also monitor the welfare of postgraduate students to enable them complete their programmes on time.
Speaking on the theme: “Repositioning the narratives of PG education for national development”, Olayinka said: “The university will only permit doctoral research programmes to be offered where it is confident that students can be trained and supported within an environment that is supportive of research.
“In terms of availability of supervisors with relevant experience and recent publications in students’project areas; facilities for research should at least meet those needed for research of national and international standards.”
To monitor their postgraduate students to ensure they are doing well academically and prevent them from overstaying their study, Olayinka said: “The university requires that supervisory committees should monitor the progress of students on doctoral programmes through annual reports to the postgraduate school.
“The university should generate a database of its academic staff who are on their PhD programmes and their progress, with a view to coming up with policies that would ensure timely completion of such programmes”.
He also said students’ personal problems should be looked into by the university, proffering solution to them.
“The university should develop and provide holistic health care services that do not focus only on physical health and fitness, but also on mental health in the work place. Generating a database of staff who have been on their PhD programmes for more than four years, the challenges and barriers encountered by these staff should be identified and addressed.”
UNILAG VC, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe said the management of the school was committed to the ideals of postgraduate education since its inception and placed high premium on the quality of graduate students as they are ambassadors of the school.
On his part, the Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies, UNILAG, Prof Solomon Akinboye said UNILAG PG School had taken steps to solve the lack of quality manpower needed in universities, especially new ones and help fund PG students.
“We took the decision to increase the number of our graduates because we recognize UNILAG’s status as a big and highly rated University when compared with other universities, especially the new ones,” he said.
Credit: The Nation
