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AAUA DON OYETAKIN CALLS FOR DE-EMPHASIZING CREDENTIALISM IN DETERMINING EMPLOYABILITY
…Says many developed nations are shifting away from belief in academic certificates as indicators of productivity
A seasoned scholar in Educational Management, Prof. Akinrotimi Oyetakin, has raised alarm over the growing mismatch between the rising costs of tertiary education and the dwindling funding commitments from both government and stakeholders, describing the situation as a dangerous financial disequilibrium.
Prof. Oyetakin expressed the concerns while delivering the 42nd Inaugural Lecture of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, titled, “Cost Explosion and Expenditure Implosion of Tertiary Education: Equilibrium Heresies in Motion”.
He observed that while Nigeria has continued to invest in education, the efforts remain grossly insufficient in matching the financial demands of modern-day tertiary education, emphasising that sustaining quality education demands a collective financial commitment guided by the principles of fiscal justice and benefiter-pay ideology.
Prof. Oyetakin said, “There are no free meals anywhere in the world. Free education, in its real sense, is not free.
Someone somewhere pays for it. Therefore, based on the benefiter-pay principle and the tenets of fiscal justice, every stakeholder must contribute meaningfully to funding education.”
He proposed a recalibration of Nigeria’s educational funding structure to restore equilibrium and avert a systemic collapse.
Prof. Oyetakin explained that cost explosion refers to the rapid and uncontrollable increase in the financial requirements of providing tertiary education, while expenditure implosion signifies a severe decline or stagnation in budgetary allocations to the sector.
He characterized the imbalance between the two forces as an “equilibrium heresy”, a distortion that has crippled the quality and sustainability of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
To address this critical imbalance, the Inaugural Lecturer recommended a strategic recalibration of funding models, proposing the diversification of income streams through increased consultancy and research commercialization, while encouraging universities to attract investments from private companies and development partners.
He also advocated aggressive pursuit of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), urging university managements to think innovatively, saying, “Every Naira earned through IGR is a value that could have been lost.
Managements should adopt a profit-sharing formula attractive enough to motivate departments and units responsible for revenue generation.”
Prof. Oyetakin added the need for establishment of the Education Emergency Relief Agency of Nigeria (EERAN) to manage educational disruptions caused by insecurity and disasters, adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for supervision and facility management, and a public-private Adapt-a-School partnership programme to support infrastructure development.
He equally recommended a comprehensive review of government policies that impose abysmally low budgetary allocations to education, insisting that a minimum of 20% annual allocation at both state and federal levels is critical to reversing the current crisis.
The Inaugural Lecturer added, “The Government and Stakeholders should device a policy to encourage all employed Alumni of every tertiary institution to assist their alma mater in infrastructural development: This policy will enable alumni of each institution to payback some tokens and not just through gift as it is being done generally.”
He decried the proliferation of non-viable programmes and tertiary institutions with low economic returns, calling for strategic de-accreditation of such courses and a stronger focus on institutional comparative advantage.
He said, “We must apply the principle of economies of scale to ensure financial prudence and academic relevance. Non-profitable academic programmes should be discarded to reduce wastages: Various studies had revealed that some courses in tertiary institutions with low economic returns on investments are no longer profitable. Such courses/programmes should be discarded or redesigned to attract the interest of potential candidates and employability in the labour market.”
Oyetakin also called for the de-emphasis of credentialism and the screening hypothesis, noting that many developed nations are shifting away from the belief that academic certificates are direct indicators of productivity.
He argued that paper qualifications, often obtained through questionable means, do not always translate to competence or efficiency in the workplace, while cautioning against politicised or overly rigid screening processes that could sideline the most capable candidates, undermining meritocracy and institutional progress.
According to him, “Most developed nations are moving away from this theory with the belief that certificate acquisition at times is not concomitant with productivity. Such an argument is based on the fact that most people cheat to get paper qualifications which does not necessarily transform into a high level of productivity. Also, the screening process must not be politically rigorous where the best could turn to be the last.”
The Professor emphasized that the survival of Nigeria’s tertiary education depends on disrupting the entrenched “financial super-parasites” and embracing a holistic and accountable funding model.
“A flying bird (cost) versus a flying butterfly (funding) must be critically examined. Until we achieve true equilibrium, quality education will remain elusive,” he noted.
In his Opening Remarks, the Vice Chancellor and Chairman on the occasion, Prof. Olugbenga Ige, noted that the lecture was not only an academic discourse, but also a celebration of a life steeped in research, teaching, service, and impact.
He expressed appreciation to Prof. Oyetakin for his steadfast devotion to the pursuit of knowledge, exemplary service to the University, and outstanding scholarly contributions to the field of Educational Management.
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