UNILAG Don Advises FG, NUC to Overhaul Varsities Courses Overtaken by AI

Oluchi Chibuzor

As artificial intelligence continues to disrupt the workforce globally, the federal government and the National Universities Commission (NUC), have been advised to overhaul and delete academic courses across tertiary institutions overtaken by artificial intelligence(AI) in today’s labour market. This is as he stressed  the need for provision of funding for AI enabled education and policy  for the country.

A professor of Labour Economics, Prof. Olukemi Iyabode  Lawanson, stated these  while delivering the 7th Professorial inaugural lecture series of the 2024/2025 academic session of the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

Speaking on a theme, ‘To Everything There Is A Season: The Perspectives of a Labour Economist’, Lawanson  said the government and the NUC must ensure relevant courses in today’s labour market are approved for Nigerian students.

According  to her, “On the part of the National Universities Commission (NUC) which is saddled with the responsibility of designing and approving the curricula being taught in tertiary institutions.

They must ensure that only relevant courses are taught in the tertiary institutions – courses which will be relevant in today’s labour market and not courses which are already overtaken by artificial intelligence or are likely to be overtaken by Al in the near future. 

“There should be a total and complete overhaul of courses being taught in tertiary institutions, where necessary new courses which are in tune with global practices and which fit in well with artificial intelligence should be inculcated into the university curricula. 

“There will be a need to render some courses irrelevant and delete them from the list of courses offered by some universities. There will also be a need for the NUC to engage in the training and retraining of lecturers so that they will be up to date in their methods of teaching to match international global practice.”

The professor noted that it  is imperative for the government to establish policies that foster innovation across the educational, industrial and political spheres of the economy 

Lawanson recommended that it is also crucial for the government to safeguard workers’ rights and ensure economic stability. 

She advised that the government needed to ensure that all educational institutions are well equipped to cope with automation that comes with artificial intelligence as well as tailor the output of the educational institutions towards the needs of the labour market.

“It is crucial for the government to safeguard workers’ rights and ensure economic stability and should encourage tertiary institutions to embrace artificial intelligence.

“The government should develop a comprehensive national policy on Al in education which provides a framework for integrating Al into teaching, learning and research at tertiary institutions. This policy should outline funding infrastructure and curriculum development initiatives to support Al adoption.

“The government should allocate dedicated funding for Al research and innovation projects at tertiary institutions. This will enable the tertiary institutions to invest in developing Al-powered solutions, conduct cutting-edge Al research, and train the next generation of Al experts,” she stated.

On the part of individual universities and all tertiary institutions, she said: “The Vice – Chancellor and management team of these institutions need to be on top of the game in ensuring that the students in these institutions are well-equipped with all the necessary tools for them to solve and excel in this new world of artificial intelligence. 

“The students need to be challenged to be creative, innovative and forward-looking in their approach to their studies. They should be taught how to think outside the box at all times. They should be challenged to be entrepreneurial rather than dependent on government to create jobs for them,” the labour economist said.