The University of Nigeria, Nsukka has said the promotion of its lecturers will now be based on the satisfaction of its students. This was contained in a memorandum from the office of the institution’s Vice Chancellor, signed by its Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Prof. J.C. Ogbonna and addressed to all Deans of faculties. The memorandum dated February 10 said promotion will be denied to any academic staff whose student evaluation rating was below 50 percent.
Deans of all the faculties have been asked to inform the lecturers they manage in their department. The evaluation done for the 2016/2017 academic session will be used for the 2017 appraisal.
Student’s evaluation of teaching effectiveness of their lecturers has for some time attracted attention globally and has been made mandatory in most universities in North America and the United Kingdom. Formal student evaluation of lecturers began in the 15th century when students at the University of Bologna in Italy paid their lecturers according to their teaching abilities.
Evaluation should be a necessary part of any program and, considering that the educational system of any nation drives the other systems, you would agree that quality assurance in the educational system is the key to national development. Most African universities lack monitoring systems and due to poor salary structures for lecturers, some lecturers are more likely to become business lecturers to make ends meet.
The average Nigerian graduate has a pocket of stories to share about their ordeal at the hands of some lascivious lecturers who do not base their evaluation on academics alone. Many students have spent more time at the university than they should have because of one problem or the other with lecturers. For them to graduate, they have to pay their way out by either bribing or having sex with them, although this may not be the case all the time.
With the initiative taken by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, this ugly narrative may soon be a thing of the past. While this is apparently a good move for the educational system in the nation, lecturers who do not pass the students’ evaluation process will not be promoted. It will help to correct some flaws in the educational system and remove many rotten eggs because lecturers who are negligent in their duties will be forced to buckle up and do what is expected of them.
Many Nigerian students are excited by this news because it will give them the chance to express themselves. It is only hoped that students will not abuse it, especially as many see it as an avenue to pay back the unethical acts committed by lecturers and the long awaited way to take revenge on them. Beyond UNN, students of other universities are anticipating for a similar law to be passed in their institutions.
Although some people believe students may not be objective enough in evaluating their lecturers as they may prefer lecturers who do not challenge them enough to those who insist on the right things being done. But there are benefits that Nigerian universities can derive from student’s evaluation of their lecturers teaching effectiveness. It provides a platform for participation between lecturers and students through which students can contribute to shaping the institution’s educational goals while excellence in teaching can also be recognised and rewarded.
