UNIVERSITY MUST EVOLVE WITH TIME OR FADE AWAY

Knowledge, its acquisition, dissemination and application is evolving at supersonic speed. Universities as among key institutions that support knowledge structures and pass on knowledge to future generations must keep stride with the knowledge revolution and the changing times.

Traditionally Universities were charged with the sole responsibility of teaching and research; we now live in an era where they have taken up new roles including their increased involvement with the society and in contributing to national economies all over the world. World class universities have embraced these global trends however Universities in our region are yet to fully adopt these new approaches and there is need for catch-up.

Universities today have embraced a learner-centred mode of learning by adopting curricular and pedagogies that prepares their graduates for tomorrow, concentrates on problem-solving and hands-on skills and emphasize on how to achieve sustainable development. Already, we have witnessed changes in terms of education delivery where Universities have used ICT to break the classroom confinement and deal with constraints of time and space as well as cater for foreign students. Virtual classrooms are now a reality and education is offered anytime and anywhere.

The evolving knowledge and research sphere now point towards transdiciplinary and multi disciplinary approaches. New fields are emerging from existing disciplines for instance bioinformatics and biochemistry.  It is important to ground students in particular disciplines but also explore interactions as societal needs are complex and multifaceted requiring different and multi dimensions to effectively solve them. Universities today have broken away from the silo mentality and from non-productive ideologies into collaborative initiatives which maximize on resources, reduce duplication, build synergy and enrich knowledge sharing.

Labour markets demand new skills with each dawning day and continuous lifelong learning must become a necessity rather than what we know as an education system where we have defined years of schooling and then graduate to start a profession. In the same breadth, Universities must upgrade the skills of the labor force as well as churn out graduates equipped with the necessary skills demanded by these markets. Towards this end, Universities must now integrate different programmes and improve the employability of their graduates by making them relevant to market needs and make them globally competitive.

Universities today contribute to the economy through wealth creation by commercializing research products. University-Industry-Government linkages are important in this endeavor and can take the form of joint research funding, establishing incubation centres, exchange of scientists and researchers.

Universities are also key players in a country’s innovation system and must carry out their role by tapping into the growing stock of global knowledge, assimilate it to local needs and create new knowledge.  

The 21^st Century University is in touch with the society more than ever. Universities today go the extra mile to understand what the society needs and respond to these needs by designing appropriate programmes. Gone are the days when faculty developed curriculum all by themselves and Universities now draw their agenda from the society.

Our Universities must therefore become flexible and change with the times or be left behind by the globalization wave. We live in societies whose thirst for knowledge is insatiable and who also demand that we focus on their needs. Only adaptive Universities will transform themselves and respond to these needs and remain relevant and competitive.