The Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, has made it compulsory that every staff of the university must be a registered member of one professional body or the other before such staff would be allowed to continue occupying positions in the institution.
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To enforce the order, the university said that henceforth there would be no more promotion for any staff who is not a registered member of a professional association, noting also that henceforth any professor who does not engage in international conferences or workshops for research would be stagnated in his or her position.
Going forward too, reluctant professors who don’t attend research courses would no longer supervise postgraduate students in Nigeria’s pioneer University of Science and Technology.
The directives were disclosed, on Wednesday, by the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Aloysius M. Okolie, during the 2023 Annual International Conference of ESUT School of Postgraduate Studies, with the theme: “Enhancing and Strengthening the Capacities of Research Supervision in Universities.”
Prof Okolie lamented that some lecturers stop research activities once they become professors, noting that such academic conferences and workshops were intellectual harvests, a career review and an avenue for interface with other colleagues.
“I had told Deans to always have intellectual harvests; Town and Gown should also be harvested for the benefit of the university. Any Dean that is not academically conscious will be removed, you must be a member of a professional association or you don’t get a promotion, you must have proof of being a registered member of a professional association. Any professor that does not attend conferences for research will henceforth be stagnated and will no longer supervise PG students,” Okolie said.
Chairman of the conference, Dr. Jeff Nnamani lamented the obvious lack of professionalism in Nigeria society, noting that the topic for the conference called for a deeper thought.
Nnamani identified lack of funding as a major challenge in university education and research, stating that university funding should not be beggarly.
The Conference host and Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Prof Sam Ugwu emphasized that the essence of University education and scholarship was hinged on teaching and research, noting that research was a veritable instrument or barometer for re-engineering the socio-economic and political directions of societies when its outcomes are adequately utilized.
Ugwu said that one of the reasons for the international conference was that for decades, the qualities of postgraduate theses/dissertations have failed national and global standards, giving most stakeholders in academia much concern.
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