Professor Abdulrosheed Na’allah, a Poet, Scholar, critical thinker, is the Vice Chancellor of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete. Prior to joining KWASU, he was the chairman of African American Studies Department at Western Illinois University in the United States of America.
In this brief interview with The Lens reporter, Olayinka Alaya, at the permanent site of the University, Professor Na’allah speaks on the vision of KWASU and the issue of University ranking in the world intellectual community.
Excerpt
The Lens: Recently the Kwara State University (KWASU) was ranked forty three out of one hundred and seventeen universities in Nigeria by the Webometric Universities Ranking, what are the strategies and methods put in place by your institution to achieve that success within the shortest period of its establishment?
Thank you so much, this is new to me, I just want to say that our own goal is to surpass the minimum standard that is required by the National Universities Commission (NUC). Our vision as a University is to be a world class university. We are actually comparing ourself with the best Universities in the World. I don’t know what criteria they used, nobody spoke to me or to anybody that I know and even to our students to ask about the quality of education they are receiving. If you want to rank a University, you have to come to that University and see the quality of staff, the quality of education the students are receiving, the quality of facilities in the University. Nobody has come here, so I don’t know the criteria they used, but haven said that, I appreciate the fact that we are just in second year and our name you know is in the list that is something good. Haven said that also, I want to say that our goal is to continue to work towards meeting that world-class standard in which we compare to any World Class University in the World. So you may very soon hear KWASU as the leading University in Nigeria and one of the best Universities in the World.
The Lens: Best University in Nigeria, University of Ilorin is ranked thirtieth in Africa, so how can we make Nigeria Universities to be among the best ten Universities in Africa?
I think Nigeria Universities must begin to look beyond the borders of Nigeria to the excellence of University education in the World. Universities should prepare young people to be global citizens. They must be part and parcel of community development so that they bring wealth to their local communities. They must move society forward, the Engineering, the Sciences must utilize the indigenous resources of Africa in order to make sure that Africa is able to produce rather than just consume. This is all what KWASU is all about and I believe that if all the Universities in Africa particularly in Nigeria take these fundamental issues as important, as challenges for Universities and goals for Universities, then they will be compared to any University in the World. That is the goal of KWASU.
Pix: The VC, Prof. Na’allah responding to questions from the Lens reporter, Olayinka Alaya, while KWASU Director of Protocol, Hajia Hamidat Suleiman watches.
In its vision of becoming the most sought after university in Nigeria, the Kwara State University (KWASU) has recruited academic scholars from best Universities in the World.
Besides, the Institution has entered into a partnership with world-class professors with a view to forging strong partner in a bid to develop strong academic curricula and personnel.
Professor Na’allah who disclosed this to the Lens, said the University had been awarded UNESCO chair in Alternative Energy and had established a Centre for Community Development, run by a McEwen University, Edmonton, Canada, to evolve ways of collaboration with all communities in Kwara State for development.
In its bid to provide the best quality education for Kwarans, the current tuition fee at Kwara State University was now one hundred thousand naira annually for kwarans, plus fifty thousand naira for medical, ID Card and registration, compared to other State Universities which charge between one hundred and fifty and two hundred and twenty thousand naira.
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