Enigma:

Sometimes Nigeria really makes you despair.

There really is NO need for a stipulation that you should have a PhD in order to work as a university lecturer. What the government really needs to do is to encourage research in the universities by as many lecturers as possible --- this the government should do by paying them reasonably well (the govt has made some progress here though some way still to go); provide facilities - books, journals, ICT, comfortable libraries and offices; provide, and encourage provision by others, of research grants; have a system of assessing and comparing research in different universities - though as far as possible without antagonism; sponsor/encourage productive overseas research trips and exchanges etc.

A lot of the best academics both in Nigeria and abroad do not have PhDs; in fact (I might be wrong) I believe that Professor Wole Soyinka only has a first degree. In Cambridge, Oxford, LSE etc, many professors only have at best a masters --- some only a first degree but they devote their life to research and become world experts ------ without a PhD.

In some areas of study/endeavour, I daresay that a PhD is ultimately a waste of time and especially - if your aim is to make money. The three or more lonely years spent obtaining a PhD might be more usefully spent rising in industry.

I agree. But I do also believe that the move is not a bad one IF the NUC is willing to commit to ensure that the PhDs obtained by 2009 are of acceptable quality.

But within the Nigerian context, how feasible does it get to obtain a PhD by 2009? Is that a realistic date to set?

mrpataki:

But within the Nigerian context, how feasible does it get to obtain a PhD by 2009? Is that a realistic date to set?

I do not believe anyone could obtain one by 2009 if just starting the program but I do believe in Nigeria it is not impossible. Considering the condition of education in the country, I am guessing there will be candidates who will be willing to pay there way through the program. So I would not put it past Nigeria to produce candidates who obtained the degree in less than 2 or 4 years.

@ Enigma

what is this so called 'devotion of life to research and becoming world experts'? Isn't that what people do while studying for a phD? Or your own experience did not involve that?

Business fields aside, Most other fields require indepth study and research, with a specific goal in mind. The PhD is essential to achieve these goals. No one is talking about making money here, this is primarily about ACADEMICS - increasing the body of knowledge and imparting such rational thinking, drive and dedication to studying and unraveling new discoveries.

these professors you mention in LSE probably have wide industry experience, I've covered that in a previous post, a niche position of adjunct faculty could be created for those. But for the overwhelming majority of other sectors (even including some parts of business such as Operations Research) the PhD requirement is very much in line

@ pataki

Like I said earlier, anyone who is not prepared by now, i.e. is not currently enrolled in a PhD program can endure a demotion of a year or two, achieve the PhD and regain his/her former position. The date IS realistic because even if you give people 10 years, one year to the deadline people will still not have complied.

Anyone not having a PhD or not enrolled in one by now and has been an academic for a period exceeding 3 years was obviously not inclined to do so anyways, we do not need such in the system if they are not prepared to comply.

PS if you want to talk about 'devotion to research and becoming world experts' please name one Nobel Prize winner (apart from literature and peace) who does NOT have a PhD.

Enigma:

@ debosky

Yep; I repeat that a lot of the best academics in Nigeria and internationally do not have a PhD.

It might interest you to note that I myself obtained a PhD in 1997 --- so I'm not writing because of some complex.

edit
Oh, by the way I went to the LSE among others ---- and actually, most of the professors in my field did not have a PhD ----and they are international experts. Many only have a first degree --- i.e. no masters degree even
It's just amazing sometimes how misinformed people can be!

PhD in 1997.  Brilliant! Please educate the young ones here.

_{I think I just found my new husband on Nairaland.}

mrpataki:

But within the Nigerian context, how feasible does it get to obtain a PhD by 2009? Is that a realistic date to set?

I don't think debosky was thinking along that line at all!  How patriotic!

debosky:

@ Enigma

what is this so called 'devotion of life to research and becoming world experts'? Isn't that what people do while studying for a phD? Or your own experience did not involve that?

Business fields aside, Most other fields require indepth study and research, with a specific goal in mind. The PhD is essential to achieve these goals. No one is talking about making money here, this is primarily about ACADEMICS - increasing the body of knowledge and imparting such rational thinking, drive and dedication to studying and unraveling new discoveries.

these professors you mention in LSE probably have wide industry experience, I've covered that in a previous post, a niche position of adjunct faculty could be created for those. But for the overwhelming majority of other sectors (even including some parts of business such as Operations Research) the PhD requirement is very much in line

@ pataki

Like I said earlier, anyone who is not prepared by now, i.e. is not currently enrolled in a PhD program can endure a demotion of a year or two, achieve the PhD and regain his/her former position. The date IS realistic because even if you give people 10 years, one year to the deadline people will still not have complied.

Anyone not having a PhD or not enrolled in one by now and has been an academic for a period exceeding 3 years was obviously not inclined to do so anyways, we do not need such in the system if they are not prepared to comply.

And why should they be demoted?  Is it everyone that would like to invest time and energy in this kind of a programme?  They can stay where they are and do what they are doing without being punished.  Must everyone have a PhD? Instead of finding ways to gradually accomodate all--you are talking about demotion. What kind of morale are you going to give those who are not in the position to make that kind of giant leap?  Like they do not have families to feed?

Please be real!

Edited: Einstein did have a PhD - earlier post incorrect.


@almondjoy

now its getting interesting, will everyone ever have PhD? no!does it mean they are less smart compared to PhD holders? no!

@ debosky,

I never knew they had flexibility of time frame to work with. But to give them an option of demotion is not suitable to the ears. A lot of redundancy exist within the Nigerian academic, I guess this is a welcome idea.

@ Kobojunkie,

I do not think you are totally right with your opinion. Obtaining a PhD within 2years in Nigeria is a mirage.

mrpataki:

@ debosky,

I never knew they had flexibility of time frame to work with. But to give them an option of demotion is not suitable to the ears. A lot of redundancy exist within the Nigerian academic, I guess this is a welcome idea.

@ Kobojunkie,

I do not think you are totally right with your opinion. Obtaining a PhD within 2years in Nigeria is a mirage.

Like I said, in the real world, is it impossible, in Nigeria?? I will not not believe it if I am told it happens.

almondjoy:

And why should they be demoted? Is it everyone that would like to invest time and energy in this kind of a programme? They can stay where they are and do what they are doing without being punished. Must everyone have a PhD? Instead of finding ways to gradually accomodate all--you are talking about demotion. What kind of morale are you going to give those who are not in the position to make that kind of giant leap? Like they do not have families to feed?

Please be real!

The LAW has been on the books since 1989 so if they are unwilling to comply THEY SHOULD BE SACKED!

If they are not interested in meeting the requirement, good riddance to bad rubbish, or accept the demotion! Its high time we stopped all this mollycoddling, If you want to be serious about a standard, then enforce it!

abi 20 years is not enough for 'accomodation'??

I am not against all these 'industrial experience' and 'real world experience' mantras, but HOW MANY IF ANY OF THESE PEOPLE POSSESS THESE?

They are mostly people who couldn't cut it elsewhere who decided to 'manage as a lecturer'. I don't want such people looking after my kids, I know may academics who are passionate about what they do, its not about the money.

I repeat - this is a CALLING not just a job! A recent Bachelor's grad in Engineering in N/A will earn more than his professor in a couple of years if not immediately, meaning those who do it do it because of a passion!

mrpataki:

@ debosky,

I never knew they had flexibility of time frame to work with. But to give them an option of demotion is not suitable to the ears. A lot of redundancy exist within the Nigerian academic, I guess this is a welcome idea.

@ Kobojunkie,

I do not think you are totally right with your opinion. Obtaining a PhD within 2years in Nigeria is a mirage.

If a lecturer decides to stay a lecturer, his or her experience should count for something.  If he or she decides to go into research then fine.  It is not by force since it has nothing to do with the lecturing ability of the individual.  What the Olodo government should do is to provide incentives to make research more appealing and attractive so people will go into that area.  IT IS NOT BY FORCE!

BTW, how many institutions of higher learning can accomodate all these lecturers by 2009?  Especially when most of them are always in tango with ASUU strikes and owed wages from the government?  Nigeria is just a crazy place most of the time.  


HOW DOES NOT HAVING A PhD INTERFERE WITH YOUR ABILITY TO LECTURE FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE?

What are you going on about accommodating them? The law applies to anyone who is currently employed and future employments.

Anyone not willing to meet basic standards should be kicked out! I don't know what this so called 'experience' a lecturer has is about, the law since 1989 says you should have a phD, 20 years later some don't have one and we should keep accommodating?

debosky:

What are you going on about accommodating them? The law applies to anyone who is currently employed and future employments.

Anyone not willing to meet basic standards should be kicked out! I don't know what this so called 'experience' a lecturer has is about, the law since 1989 says you should have a phD, 20 years later some don't have one and we should keep accommodating?

For a third world country I think these standards are pretty high and unnecessary. Even most civilized countries would not set such standards. Forgeting in Nigeria, all do not have the same opportunities. So that the best and capable are frustrated and the ones who can get "favors" move ahead by the grace of their "illicit" connections.  It is only in places like Nigeria you will be forced at gun point to study what you do not want to venture into.  Other countries would use incentives. 

Dear debosky, what has a PhD got to do with the ability to lecture in a university for heaven's sake? While all these half-starved lecturers are scrambling around to get this redundant PhD which most will keep in their suitcases till moths eat the damn paper, are you going to feed their families?

debosky:

PS if you want to talk about 'devotion to research and becoming world experts' please name one Nobel Prize winner (apart from literature and peace) who does NOT have a PhD.

Excellent question!!!

Let us see the ratio in this set of PhDs to non-PhDs.

@debosky,
As you said, PhDs drive the world of research.

RichyBlacK:

Excellent question!!!

Let us see the ration in this set of PhDs to non-PhDs.

@debosky,
As you said, PhDs drive the world of research.

Please we are talking about Nigeria not the outside world.  Let us start with more realistic goals before talking about Nobel Prize candidates here.  All we want these lecturers to do is LECTURE!!!! Not every lecturer wants to go into research please. If I were a lecturer--my main passion will directed towards teaching people. Later in life, when I decide to go into research, fine if not, fine too. No punitive measures necessary.

If they want to go into research and so on---it should be encouraged not forced upon them to make things more difficult for them.  Period!!!  NA BY FORCE?

I repeat.----What has Phd got to do with "lecturing" please?  Does it make you a better lecturer?

almondjoy:

Please we are talking about Nigeria not the outside world. Let us start with more realistic goals before talking about Nobel Prize candidates here. All we want these lecturers to do is LECTURE!!!!

If they want to go into research and so on---it should be encouraged not forced upon them to make things more difficult for them. Period!!! NA BY FORCE?

My sister, that's not true. We also want them to conduct RESEARCH!

No be by force, I agree. But the government is not kicking them out but leaving better positions for those who can effectively carry out research and teach.

Nobel lauraettes without PHDs?There are loads of them in economics.One of them won the 2007 economics Nobel.Now according to you guys,he is not good enough to lecture economics in Nigerian Universities

You don't need a PhD to become a professor.In Medicine for instance,more than 85% of the professors do not have PhDs where I work.There are so many routes to becoming a professor
1.Professional exams-MRCP,FRCP

2.Expertise in your field.Primary inventors who want others to share in their knowledge.

PhDs is usually research based.If our government can support that then it is okay to promogulate such a law.But for a country with very few research institutes and most universities not having research grants,I wonder how such a law can be seen as fair.

I-man:

Nobel lauraettes without PHDs?There are loads of them in economics.One of them won the 2007 economics Nobel.Now according to you guys,he is not good enough to lecture economics in Nigerian Universities

Stop to misyarn!

What is the ratio of PhDs to non-PhDs in the set of all those who have won Nobel Prizes in Economics?

RichyBlacK:

My sister, that's not true. We also want them to conduct RESEARCH!

No be by force, I agree. But the government is not kicking them out but leaving better positions for those who can effectively carry out research and teach.

Once again, it is only in Nigeria you will tell an individual what to do.  I say some do not want the research aspect of academics.  That choice should be respected.  People go into teaching because they like to interact with students as their calling not cooped up in some dusty library reading and reproducing shit till they go blind!

IT SHOULD BE A CHOICE!!!!!!   If everyone goes into research and PhD crap, who will teach then?

men that dare to be different great views totally different!

blueband:

You don't need a PhD to become a professor.In Medicine for instance,more than 85% of the professors do not have PhDs where I work.There are so many routes to becoming a professor
1.Professional exams-MRCP,FRCP

2.Expertise in your field.Primary inventors who want others to share in their knowledge.

PhDs is usually research based.If our government can support that then it is okay to promogulate such a law.But for a country with very few research institutes and most universities not having research grants,I wonder how such a law can be seen as fair.

You're right that you don't need a PhD to become a professor, but that's not the issue. Among professors, across the globe, only a small fraction, are not PhDs. So, what's wrong if Nigeria puts in place a policy inline with what obtains in the rest of the world?

dot2002:

men that dare to be different great views totally different!

Say what?---

E be like say you need the PhD thingy oh!

almondjoy:

Once again, it is only in Nigeria you will tell an individual what to do. I say some do not want the research aspect of academics. That choice should be respected. People go into teaching because they like to interact with students as their calling not cooped up in some dusty library reading and reproducing shit till you go blind!

IT SHOULD BE A CHOICE!!!!!! If everyone goes into research and PhD crap, who will teach then?

WHAT CHOICE ARE YOU SPEAKING ABOUT?

I[b]N 100% of N/A Chemical Engineering Departments as a case in point, YOU CANNOT TEACH/HOLD A PROFESSOR/ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Position without a PHD, there is NO CHOICE AT ALL IN THE MATTER![/b]

This is not the market where you can choose to buy guguru or epa, this is lives and educational backbone of a nation!

You do not need to be cooped up in a Library all your life, it takes on average 4 years to attain a PhD, take that as part of your development, how do you inspire your students to greater heights when you yourself decided to 'manage' with your B.Sc?

Granted not all are suited for research, but ANYONE who will have supervision over budding minds should at least EXPERIENCE what it means, some folk don't do any research after their PhD's but they would have at least demonstrated their academic mettle.

There simply MUST be a standard, if not, why not just bring people off the road 'who want to interact with their students' ?? Shebi that is the important thing?

RichyBlacK:

You're right that you don't need a PhD to become a professor, but that's not the issue. Among professors, across the globe, only a small fraction, are not PhDs. So, what's wrong if Nigeria puts in place a policy inline with what obtains in the rest of the world?

Because we are not like the rest of the world.  They had things in place to encourage that kind of set up.  In Nigeria--you no get light, you no get water or toilet paper to wipe your butt and you are talking of PhD.  No libraries!!!! Please which brain you wan make these suffering and smiling lecturers take read all this book?  Please learn to walk before you try sprinting in the olympics!


Nonsense!

almondjoy:

Once again, it is only in Nigeria you will tell an individual what to do. I say some do not want the research aspect of academics. That choice should be respected. People go into teaching because they like to interact with students as their calling not cooped up in some dusty library reading and reproducing shit till they go blind!

IT SHOULD BE A CHOICE!!!!!! If everyone goes into research and PhD crap, who will teach then?

Great point. But, in America where you live, isn't it true that, unless in special circumstances, you cannot get a tenure-track job in most Universities?

On top of that, are you not denied tenure when you fall short of a certain level in terms of grants and/or publications?

When in an Ivy Tower, you play by the rules of the place.

i know more than two eminent authority without earned higher degree (PhD)

debosky:

WHAT CHOICE ARE YOU SPEAKING ABOUT?
I[b]N 100% of N/A Chemical Engineering Departments as a case in point, YOU CANNOT TEACH/HOLD A PROFESSOR/ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Position without a PHD, there is NO CHOICE AT ALL IN THE MATTER![/b]

This is not the market where you can choose to buy guguru or epa, this is lives and educational backbone of a nation!

You do not need to be cooped up in a Library all your life, it takes on average 4 years to attain a PhD, take that as part of your development, how do you inspire your students to greater heights when you yourself decided to 'manage' with your B.Sc?

Granted not all are suited for research, but ANYONE who will have supervision over budding minds should at least EXPERIENCE what it means, some folk don't do any research after their PhD's but they would have at least demonstrated their academic mettle.

There simply MUST be a standard, if not, why not just bring people off the road 'who want to interact with their students' ?? Shebi that is the important thing?

Which country are you talking about please?  Which universities are you referring to?  No be guguru and epa sellers be lecturers for Naija now?

what the heck are you talking about?  Standards?---Without libraries and basic amenities in place to make this process worthwhile.

Sometimes I wonder!  PhD inside darkness with mosquitos!!!

almondjoy:

Because we are not like the rest of the world. They had things in place to encourage that kind of set up. In Nigeria--you no get light, you no get water or toilet paper to wipe your butt and you are talking of PhD. No libraries!!!! Please which brain you wan make these suffering and smiling lecturers take read all this book? Please learn to walk before you try sprinting in the olympics!


Nonsense!

But we are trying to walk, but you say we must build an Olympic-sized stadium first. We have to start somewhere.

A viable research environment, attracts great students and great professors. All these attracts grants, which then translates into funds for more books and better libraries.

When Harvard started in 1636, electricity and flush toilet, as we know it, did not exist.

We have to start from the mind and not the matter.

so lets wait till we have light and all amenities before having educational standards.

mental laziness. Suspend all activity and improvements till its all perfect!

abeg Richy tell her, some people will wait forever to make improvements.

The truth is, majority of the lecturers, at least in the Federal Universities are qualified, the lazy ones who don't want to comply are the ones who will make all the noise.

RichyBlacK:

Great point. But, in America where you live, isn't it true that, unless in special circumstances, you cannot get a tenure-track job in most Universities?
On top of that, are you not denied tenure when you fall short of a certain level in terms of grants and/or publications?

When in an Ivy Tower, you play by the rules of the place.

That is America!  They took their time to get things to that level.  They provided their lecturers with the best of the best to make sure they "grew" in their fields.  They have light and water oh!  Research facilities and were compensated while they did all these.  In Nigeria what are you up against?  Yes, there are standards in America.  But it is not at gun point and the atmosphere is conducive for meeting such standards.  They do not make it stressful to accomplish those goals.

All these ones you guys are making noise here, who will feed these guys families while the lecturers are in some cave battling this Ph.D mess?  Is it that easy to live what you are doing and devote all your time to this rigorous studies without your wife or husband divorcing you for neglecting your home or being deficient in your financial responsiblities?  What are the incentives and what kinds of "grants" and "scholarships" are available to make this process as stress free as possible.

I have a cousin who has to do this Phd thing and has been seperated from her family for almost 2 years now.  She only sees them once or twice a year since she opted to do this PhD mess out of the country.  At the end is it really worth it?