An Interview By Spectrum Newspaper Of Prof. B.B. Fakae Vice Chancellor Of Rivers State University Of Science & Technology, Nkpolu.
First published: 7 October 2011 at 20:58
Interviewer: Good evening Sir. Nigeria will be 51years in the next few days, in your views, access Educational Development
VC: If we want to assess educational development in Nigeria; looking at the number of schools we had before and the number we have now, yes we will say education in terms of size have grown in Nigeria.
The interesting part is the increase in the number of private schools despite the fact which bears a very strong message. The question in terms of quality is a thing of concern because the things that have been happening within the public Exams that are been taken has shown us that we cannot beat our chest and say we are doing so well.
Looking at JAMB for instance, the number that passed, the number that got admitted but did not meet the entry requirement of the University is dismal.
The last NECO & WAEC examination results say it all, at this point we cannot really say in terms of quality that we are doing well.
Interviewer: sir what do you think should be the solution for a 51 year old nation?
VC: I think we have to take care of those things we have neglected. We have to go back to the preparatory phases (primary and secondary schools) and declare an emergency in that sector otherwise the final product (External examination results) will remain poor.
In those days, I had travel far from my village to get a secondary school. We had competition from people from different nationalities but now all what we find is that every village has an unkempt community school or the other and this is not helping.
Interviewer: Coming back home, you are the Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University of Science and Technology, what is the Impact of technology in our Nigeria development?
VC: Looking at the graduates that have left the school, we find them in different sphere of the economy. The University was thought of by the founding fathers to be a university that will provide solution to the peculiar problems of the region. Like I said looking at the graduates that have passed through, this university has contributed a lot to the development of the region whether technologically or in other ways.
Interviewer: Will you say the Rivers State University of Science & Technology has met some of the expectations of the founding fathers?
VC: this is true because I was looking at the recent report that was done by UNEPP and the major partner of that project was the RIVERS STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.
Remember the founding fathers said this university should give answers to problems peculiar to this region, so coming back and working with UNEPP and we were able to qualitatively assess our environment and that will show you that we have met some of the aspirations of founding fathers. In fact in terms of training members of the United Nations team had two different training and each of them took one week.
If I take the words of the coordinator, he said for the University of Science and Technology (because he sent two letters, one to the governor and a copy to me) ‘the training has been very useful, that the facilities ,personnel services were excellent’ I took that from UNITED NATIONS as something very dear to me.
Interviewer: You have been here since 2008 and have done one or two things; will you say that you have been able to bring some changes/success to the institution?
Looking at the condition that brought me and the way that I came in, the Visitor (Governor Chibuike Ameachi) to the university was saddened with the state of affairs in RSUST, in his words he looked at it, compared it to the way it was, the way it should be, what other universities are and said...” the university was dead and buried’.
He said so because things were not working, 3 to 4 children were dying nearly every week as a result of cultism, the university records were in shambles, and that made him to say …“let’s go there and do a rescue mission”.
The university was running 39 programs and only 8 were accredited. The NUC was coming to look at the programs again and if we didn’t meet the requirements for those programs, they would be shut down. In that November 2007,I was brought in and the administration started but to God be the Glory before August 2008 all the programs presented were all accredited by the NUC.
I will want to emphasize this because Kogi state university had the same problem and somebody was brought in to rescue the university, they were able to have 29 programs accredited in 29months and they wrote a book published by the 4th dimension and titled it 29 steps in 29months.
But in the RUST we had 32 programs accredited in less than 12months and I think that was fresh breath taken and we thank the Visitor (Governor Ameachi) for his support and the academic staff who stood and made sure they contended with the anti-change agents and made the accreditation a reality.
Interviewer: How will you describe the journey so far and what structures have you put in place to ensure these policies out live your administration?
VC: The Journey so far has been very challenging and I can say so far we have been able to come out of the woods, and today we are preparing for convocation.
We came and met inadequate academic records, cultism and this prevented an integrated system and we had no option than to commence a change process.
In terms of infrastructure: the university is wearing a new look, we embarked upon an urban renewal program, cut down retired trees and kept the environment clean. RUST is a citadel of learning, an ivory tower, shanties and things like that do not describe a learning environment.
The required teaching aids in workshops were replaced and modern equipment was provided and also heads of department were trained to handle accreditation matters.
What made it possible to run the University is that we established a database. At the onset we did not know the number of students we inherited but now apart from knowing the number of students, we also know the identity of all students. This was as a result of the introduction of online real-time facilities that enabled us to integrate our processes.
This process ensured that students were registered, got their results as at when due. We found that matriculation numbers were quadruplicated and that made life difficult. This meant that only one of the four supposed students was legally admitted into the institution and the rest were admitted through fraudulent means but we have resolved these problems. Thus in 2008 we challenged ourselves that all results must be online and transcript of students graduating that year onward must be up to date.
We went back to 2004 (7years) and found students who had taken exams but did not have records, we had the unit called exams and records but they had no records. In some cases we had different results for same student on a particular examination.
We went through all that and it was like tsunami happening in the university and that is why we had a lot of grumbling in 2009, some students who say they had passed exams did not even remember the year they took the exam and some who said they were students did not even have the entry requirements or a matriculation number.
These things were sorted out and we now know our students. Students register courses online and lecturers download class list from our database. Formerly, anybody from the market can sit for an exam and receive a grade as that was the trend as the process was not controlled and integrated.
On allocation of hostel, we do allocate hostels to students online as is obtainable on airline websites. Students go online to choose the room they want, decide on the desired type of roommate, and are given 48hrs to pay and then access and get their room.
Allocations of hostels are done on a first come first serve bases. 76% of the hostel accommodation is for first year students while the others are shared between final year, physically challenged and foreign students.
Now we know that we can accommodate only 2000 of our 20,000 plus student population, this means we can only accommodate 10% of the students at anytime. The era of squatting and its attendant problems are over.
A student who gets accommodation is able to go online and find details of the other three roommates, details of the occupants of both rooms on bordering his/her room. As Vice Chancellor I know details of all students. With this, if a student is involved in a crime we are able to locate the person by the first name and department.
Results of the students are posted online as it is, they are able to download it and know the subject they have passed. I think all these things have regulated the way the business of administering qualitative education in the university.
For us now in terms of admission we do not exceeded the carrying capacity. Looking at the faculty of law before 2008, they were admitting between 600-800 students but carriage capacity was 150. We don’t even have accommodation for more than 200 students and a class of law students was 600-800 students. What kind of lawyers would we be getting? This was unfair to the students.
Only 200 lawyers are allowed for the law school, by 2008 it increased to 250. If we took a class of 600 lawyers and they all graduated, how many years will it take to mobilize our lawyers to law school? This is the problem and that is why people started selling law school forms that were meant to be free.
Right now the capacity for Law approved by JAMB and NUC is 181 and since 2008 till date we have not admitted beyond this carry capacity. Having said that our admission is on merit that is why we are able to publish our results in the newspapers.
The era of governor’s list, wives list, mother’s list, honorable list, the community list are gone as with the support of the Visitor we been banished.
We do not have community list. We went ahead and provided computers and software to the community , the software will aid them to practice for the post UME exams as we agreed with them that : ‘this is the only way you can get into the university’.
The software given to the community has 40000 questions from the database so it was for them to go through and frankly speaking the community has been understanding and also had very brilliant students that have come into the university.
I think I won’t be able to judge myself or judge the organization some other person can say that by comparism we were like this before but we are so but I think no matter what we have done, there is still room for improvement. Thank you.
Interviewer: Sir, when you were at Bori polytechnic you introduced an E library and in the RSUST you have done the same thing, what is responsible for your preference for E technology ?
VC: .I had to travel in 2007 to Malaysia while I was in the polytechnic and what was it? We went on a study tour on how to run a E university that was in September 2007.
In October 2007 we organized a conference on the subject matter for all the rectors in Polytechnics where we had to tell the other rectors who did not make the Malaysia trip on how to use and run an E university. In November 2007 Governor Amerchi said I had to come to RUST.
The first email I got was from Malaysia from the Multi -Media University and it read: ‘it is now time to implement what you came to study here ’. Since then we decided to introduce E-technology and talk about online process.
The truth is that the way to cut down on corruption is introduction of E technology, now we have started first year general courses study for them to take exam online, the children are able to see their result there and then nobody tells them come in the evening and I will show you your result.
Looking at the number involved 5000 it normally takes 2 to 3 years in some cases to trace your GS result, now you get it there and then. The students normally take exam, the result will not come out two-three years because it was difficult to follow things.
The university regulation says if you take exam in your first year, if you fail you will repeat it in your second year, now if you fail in the second year, again you will take it in your third year but look at a case of a student who takes exam in the first year and does not see result until the third year and he is only told he has failed then he would have failed all the processes of registration and that was what gave us the problem when we started computerization.
We look at the year two for a student who failed year one we didn’t see anything, computer puts dash, look at year three didn’t see anything the computer puts dash and the students were shouting ‘fakae where have you put my result I passed’ but there was not thing to show because he took the exam at abnormal time, in abnormal place but you will not blame the students he did not see the result as at when due so the introduction of E technology has help cut down on corruption like again in this university nobody you are going to see that will receive cash from you, everything is online so any money in the drawer of anybody in RIVERS STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY does not belong to the university because the university money is always in the bank so this things have help us to streamline, help us to be very accountable and that has put the university straight.
I will mention again this question even if you have not asked me, so where is cultism? The manure for cultism is corruption and when it does not exist obviously to your tent o Israel. This is what we try to do so we can give rivers people value for the money they have invested in the RIVERS STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Interviewer: if we may ask sir, who is Prof. B.B fakae and what does he stand for ?
VC: Its fully called Barineme Beke fakae. He was born in Bori but when he left there he went to primary school but he went to comprehensive secondary in Port Harcourt, he left he went to university in the University of Nigeria Nsuka where he read veterinary medicine.
He got interested in Veterinary Parasitology, he continued and got masters. Then it was necessary to improve on what one has done so I went to the centre for tropical veterinary medicine in Edinburgh and got a PhD in tropical animal health specializing still in Parasitology.
since then a number of things have happened, been able to go back to the university that allowed me go on the common wealth academic staff scholarship to Britain and back to head the department of Parasitology and Entomology and have been able to contribute in the ways that one have done that made the university of Nigeria taking the words of Prof. -----the vice chancellor that Prof. B.B fakae is on loan to River state can you believe that.
Interviewer: Sir Can we look at some of the constraints you have now?
The constraints are very straight forward when you are running a state university, you also consider the politics that is involved and the point is that for some time the university had run as a civil service outfit and that is the reason why if the contracts of one or two persons are not renewed some people complain even when the number of staff in that department exceed the number students.
The general psychic was even a problem. A staff mentioned that he got into a class and asked the first year students ‘ now if we say we want to award you this bachelor’s degree right now, how many of you will like that’ ? And nearly the whole class had their hands in the air.
People do not think that studying is important anymore as we are in a title less society so what people want is the certificate and not knowledge. That is why a lecturer who may just give marks is a good lecturer but the one who teaches and expects you to pass is a bad one.
It’s within our culture and value system but we are working at turning it around because of the World Wide Web there is globalization so the competition is not just within us but is now on a global scale. The attempt to reduce RSUST to a quota driven place or not allowing the system to be driven by merit is injurious to our ‘tomorrow’ in all ramifications and this administration have vowed to resist it.
The other constrain is the absence of unlimited funds to fulfill ‘all’ our dreams but the Visitor have been of great support which have translated to our current accomplishments.
In the area of staffing we still have challenges as you cannot just pick up lecturers from the street but must seek for the right quality and quantity but even when you do , the people may not be able to come into Rivers state for various reasons, some may not just want to come, some are afraid of insecurity, and even some of our children abroad who ought to come and take over the university with their type of exposure they have acquired have refused to rise to the challenge for varied reasons and respect that but will continue to appeal for patriotism to overcome these reasons.
We are working on a robust staff exchange to bait them to want to remain in the country apart from that I think we are doing well.
Interviewer: What is you r relationship with the lecturers?
It is has been very cordial despite the initial disagreements as the various interest groups are beging to respect one another and engage each other in frank talksthus we don’t have any problem for now but that does not mean there won’t be dissenting voices as this is the beauty of any democratic and open system. If you want a confirmation get on a tour of the campus till you convince yourself.
We will like to do that in the face of the forth coming convocation but has there been any other convocation under your watch ?
To be certain, I came in 2008, I remember the university had a convocation sometime in2005 and since then there has not been any convocation and so the forth coming convocation will be a combination of the 19th, 20th,21st,22nd and the 23rd convocation making us now to be graduating approximately 18,450 persons taking first degree, certificates and diploma, 3,550 for higher degrees, so we are having a convocation for 22,000 graduates of this university.
Its not only that we are doing a convocation but that all the 22,000 graduands will have their certificates on that day and not empty scrolls s used to be the practice. As I speak I am currently signing certificates for graduates of 2003.
The new certificates have reference numbers and have nine security features which is like money. These features include a water mark with IRS design, a hologram and for the first time in Nigeria we have a school that has a certificate with the alpha numeric system.
With these nine features and the special paper that the certificate is printed on, it emphasizes the importance we attach to the work the beneficiaries have put into qualifying to own one of these certificates. A cheap document might trivialize such an important document that defines a landmark in the life of the beneficiary. We will continue to try and distinguish our university which is Nigeria’s premier University of Science & Technology.
Interviewer: Sir don’t you think that these standards you have set in the RUST mightattractprospective undergraduates far beyond what the school can handle, how do you intend to cope?
That is our intention, remember the idea of a state owned university of science and technology was floated by the founding fathers in a sea of doubt which the critics likened to iron floating on water. This same original vision is what is driving the Visitor Governor Chibuike Ameachiwho insists on a world class university and thus is investing in a brand new university campus capable of competing globally. In this light his primary and secondary school buildings attest to his love of quality and adequacy for students.
We strive to qualify for a surge in applicants for the university and we want it to be so competitive that we will be producing the best brains because we are thinking that beyond oil, Rivers State should be exporting knowledge. After all Lebanon had inflows from its nationals abroad last year in excess of $4billion, investment in human resource is the future.
Interviewer: despite these achievements, is your administration carrying along the parents of the students and are their expectations being met?
Of course some parents mayhave reservations as most people have lost faith in anything governmentthus it is a work in progress to meet their expectations. We have our graduates who have gone out and excelled such that some passed law school in the first class cadre, We a report of one of our staff who is in Scotland he has just produce something that will be demanded in the world all over in the oil industry as I just got the magazine sent to me. We actually have people who have done and are doing exploits here. We are not yet there but we eventually get there at this rate.
Interviewer: how ready is the University for the Fourth Coming Convocation?
The university is ready for the convocation and as you drove in you must have felt the atmosphere of convocation, The convocation arena is totally refurbished, so many people might not recognize it because of its previous state of disrepair before we took over.
This is the first time some parents will come into the university and this not nice. Weinvite the parents to take a step beyond ‘funding of their children’ andthe ‘words of their children’ and come and verify results by themselves and alsolook at things and be convinced that their children are studying in one of the best university anybody can have within this region.
The truth is that our results are online, the processes for getting into convocation can be gotten online our website is www.University of Science and Technology.edu.ng. if you get there you will be able to see and find things about the university.
Interviewer: Tell us about the academic planning unit and how they have been helpful in your administration?
The academic planning unit is a unit under the VC’S office they are not only into academic planning they also look at the various statistical data as it affects the various strata of the university.
We just came back from National University Commission meeting where all universities in the country and the national university system is x-rayed annually. This meeting provides a platform where all universities in the country present all they had done for the year and this is measured against their previous year pledged landmarks. After our presentation, I will want to say we had a standing ovation due to the hard work of the Academic Planning Unit.
They review scholarship, the way exams are taken and how we comply with the university time table. We now insist that lecturers that give exams must submit, the marked script, the marking scheme, attendance sheet within a very specific time frame and these ground rules are strictly monitored by the Academic Planning Unit. Thusif a studentfeels victimized we don’t need to refer to the lecturer we will be able to pick the marked script and then look at the marking scheme and seehow muchthe lecturer has complied with the ground rules.
In the light of this the APUhas been training lecturersfor the purpose of putting all and sundry on the same page. The Graduate Assistant to Lecturer 1 level just concluded a session of training in this regard as this will equip them with contemporary tenets of lecturing in a university.
Mind you we all have one form of deficiency or the other some are self inflicted while others are caused by external factors.
VC you also talked about the NUC; I will like to know how the university has complied with NUC guide lines on admission?
I have addressed this earlier; take for example the faculty of law that previously was admitting over 600 students way beyond the NUC approved and available facilities. But since we addressed this problem our law faculty have never exceeded 200 students.
The university is maintaining the approved admission ratio of 60% for core science courses and even less than 40% for management sciences. We want to push to the point of 70% for the core science courses to truly reflect our University of science and technology toga.
Interviewer: Sir will you say with all this achievement so far within your administration that you have been able to eradicate the popular sorting (payment for grades) among lecturers and student?
That is almost becoming extinct because of the speed at which the Senate is demanding for results. All results must be submitted not more than three weeks after the examination and the time frame does not provide room for marketing.
Interviewer: Thank you Sir for your time.
VC: You are welcome.