Prof. Lucy Ambekeh Udida:Be proactive in integrating core value in teaching,learning

Nigerian Universities have been charged to be proactive in fully integrating core values in teaching, learning, research and operational management by Prof. Lucy Ambekeh Udida

The 121st Inaugural lecturer of the University of Calabar(Unical), Prof. Lucy Ambekeh Udida gave the charge while delivering the institution\’s inaugural lecture on the topic: \” Restoring University Core Values in the Nigerian Education System\”.

According to her, Universities are the engine room for knowledge production, discovery, innovation and skills development hence the need for it to be grounded in core values.

Prof. Lucy Ambekeh Udida, a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Educational Administration in Higher Education said as institutions which prepare many of the political, as well as, social leaders, they need to increase the attention they pay to the values, they instil in their graduates and how they can help identify shared values that can bring communities together rather than tearing them apart.

Prof. Udida said a country\’s \’grandeur\’ is directly correlated with the calibre of its academic institutions, saying it is only with strong commitment from the stakeholders to re-instil and nurture the acceptable principles, will the greatness of the Nigerian University System be regained thus ensuring that core values and principles become a way of life.

She said where core values are respected and flourish, a University education does not only contribute necessary skills and services to society but also maximizes the capacity of individuals to think for themselves and make informed, creative contributions to their own lives as well as to the lives of others.

The inaugural lecturer said without these values, the provision of University education and the perceived social, political, and cultural functions of higher education are narrow.

The Don also reiterated that Universities should not only teach core values by inscribing them into written tangible policies but must ensure that those inscribed values are translated into actions taken by the University stakeholders.

This came as she attributed the deterioration of core public values such as respect for elders and constituted authorities, honesty and accountability to the rise of social vices.
The inaugural lecturer added that the erosion of these core values has altered the nation\’s value structure, resulting in a serious moral dilemma, even as she advocated for the expansion of values education as a feasible paradigm for behaviour change and ethical re-orientation.

She said that offering universal courses on re-orientation to all students will aid in restoring our solid value re-orientation.

Prof. Udida posited that the difficulties confronting University education in Nigeria suggest that everyone\’s mentality has to change, adding that, Nigerians require a compassionate and patriotic administration comprised of individuals willing to wipe away citizens\’ tears and help them dream anew.

She further stressed that if the Nigerian Government is serious about reforming the educational system, it must bring back some of the country\’s experts from the Diaspora, believing they have acquired all of the technology that the country needs and that be given back to Nigeria.

The inaugural lecturer called on the government and other key institutions to expedite action in overhauling Nigeria\’s higher education system to reap the advantages of the rich sector.

The former DVC Administration also advocated for the implementation of a national strategy on values education as a reference tool to guide both individual and official transactions in University education.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi, in her remarks, described the topic of the lecture as apt, saying it is in sync with the policy thrust of her administration.

She said inculcating good societal values in students is key to national progress and assured that her administration will leave nothing to chance to uphold core values.

Represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration, Prof. Eno Grace Nta, the varsity administrator thanked the inaugural lecturer for contributing to knowledge and urged upcoming academics to tap from her wealth of experience by making themselves available for mentoring.

The well-attended lecture featured the presentation of a memento to the inaugural lecturer by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration on behalf of the Vice Chancellor.

Public Relations Unit University of Calabar