FG Urged to Decentralise University Salary Structure

The federal government has been urged to decentralize the University salary structure so that lecturers could be allowed to  negotiate  with  governing councils of  their respective  university.

 The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Prof. Mohammad Sani Haruna, made the call while speaking at the  Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, during  the launching of four books and celebration of excellence by Prof. Aminu Ladan Sharehu, who is a Professor of Public Administration.

Haruna suggested that lecturers should be paid by contact hours and remunerated according to the impact of their output.

He said Nigerian varsity system ought to grow to a level where lecturers will earn more than a vice chancellor(VC), or political office holders if their works attract funding.

According to him,  the attitude of some teaching staff leaves much to be desired, adding that  it was worrisome that universities are not solving any socio-economic challenges of the communities in their catchment areas.

He said universities have no linkages with industries and relevant research organisations.

He said: “Let me advocate that  university salary structure and indeed of all tertiary institutions should be decentralised in such a way that lecturers are paid for productivity hours. Salaries to be negotiated on case-by-case basis with the Governing Council and according to the capacity and performance of the lecturers and the universities.

“Yes, payment of living wages is important, but it does not make sense to pay the uniform salaries for lecturers in Damaturu, Birnin Kebbi, Lagos and Port Harcourt where cost of living is not the same.

“Lecturers should be paid by contact hours and remunerated according to the impact of their output. They can earn more than a VC, or political office holders if their work attracts funding from private sector or other sources or impact attract glories to their institutions.

“By these, I am advocating decentralised unions both ASUU and NASU are out of tune with the reality. Each  institution to have its local union having contract with the governing council.”

According to him, as an academician himself, he  confessed  that the attitude of some teaching staff leaves much to be desired.

“Some lecturers are not even qualified or suitable to teach courses assigned to them. Most have no Professional Teaching Qualification, most have no fashion for teaching and are in the profession only as ‘lasting job alternative.’

“I have seen teachers who recycle the lesson notes given to them when they were students three to four decades earlier. How can the products of such process be relevant in today’s dynamic and digital world?

“Lecturers are not accountable in most public institutions for absenteeism and for failure to adhere to planned timetable and for non-execution of practical structured in their syllabus. Corruption and sexual harassment are generally unchecked leading to half-baked graduates.

“Our universities are not solving any socio-economic challenges of the communities in their catchment areas and have no linkages with industries and relevant research organizations. Most cannot attract any research fund because need-oriented research and market driven research is not in their culture. I bet some lecturers can fail the very exam they are setting for their students.

“Lecturers of higher institutions no longer spend vacations in the industries to update their knowledge. What is disheartening is that graduation days or period of many bright students are sometimes unreasonably delayed by lazy and non-supervised lecturers with negative consequences on the career progression of affected students especially in ABU. The problems are many.”

He faulted the challenges facing ABU as a result of the recently called off strike action.

He said: “The case of ABU that cannot resume academic activities immediately after the strike is called off is worrisome. ABU has lost many academic years and any rush to catch up can only end in production of half-baked graduates.

“Generally, unemployment rate will continue to grow. Thousands of unemployable and unskilled but half-baked graduates are turned out annually in Nigeria.”

He said there was “need to strategise on the reduction of fake certificates from Cotonou in Benin Republic because of prioritisation of degrees instead of skills.”