Salem University - Quality Assurance

[SalemUni]

  Opening Remarks by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Adeola Fuwape, at the University Lecture on "Contemporary Issues in Quality Assurance" held on Tuesday 5^th February, 2013.

"The Secretary to State Government,

All State Dignitaries present,

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor,

Registrar & All Principal Officers,

Deans and Directors,

Heads of Departments & Units,

Great Global Leaders,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Gentlemen of the Press.

It is with great pleasure and delight that I welcome you to this unique occasion of the University lecture on Quality Assurance.

Quality assurance (QA) is of paramount importance in the education sector because the standard of an educational institution is judged by the quality of products and services of such institution.  Thus, any university that must keep pace with its peers in this global competitive system must subject itself to constant appraisal and pursue its vision with vigour, resilience and determination.  Our vision in Salem University is to raise Global leaders – graduates who are worthy in character and learning as well as sound in body, soul and spirit for outstanding leadership and global impact.

In order to empower and transform our youths (Global Leaders) to be spiritually alive and intellectually alert, the University adopted some core values.  The core values to be imbibed by our Global leaders include; Godliness, Confidence, Mental empowerment, Integrity, Accountability, Diligence, resourcefulness, Sense of Priority and Synergy.  I have always believed that in order to drive a vision, it is important to build capacity of the workforce.  Therefore, upon my assumption of duty as Vice-Chancellor of Salem University in December 2012, I decided to set in motion the necessary machinery for efficient quality assurance.  I am delighted that Senate graciously approved the proposal and also approved that Prof. Oluwagbemiro Jegede could present the sensitization lecture.

I am happy to welcome Prof. Jegede as our eminent resource person.  Prof. Jegede is a distinguished scholar, an astute technocrat, seasoned administrator, outstanding leader and a role model worthy of emulation.

Professor Oluwagbemiro Jegede is the current Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Kogi State. Prior to his appointment as SSG he was the Secretary General and Chief Executive of the Association of African Universities from December 2010- 2012.

The Vice-Chancellor of National Open University of Nigeria NOUN (2003-2010).

Before his appointment  as VC of NOUN , Prof. Jegede had played a pivotal role in The Open University of Hong Kong as the foundation Director of its Centre for Research in Distance and Adult Learning (CRIDAL) from 1998-2002.

He was Manager of the East Asia regional node for the World Bank Global Distance Education Network in 1998

He served as the Head of the Centre for Research and Evaluation Unit Distance Education Centre at the University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia (1991-1997).

He was co-coordinator of Science Education programme distance learning at Curtin University of Technology Science and Mathematics Education Centre, Perth, Australia in 1988.

Oluwagbemiro Jegede holds ME.d and PhD from University College Wales, UK."

 

"I first met Prof. Jegede in Abuja during the International Quality Assurance Workshop jointly organized by "National Open University of Nigeria and Commonwealth of Learning, Canada in 2009. At that meeting, he presented a highly scintillating paper that drew the awe and respect of every participant.   My second encounter with Prof. Jegede was when he presented the Convocation lecture at the Federal University of Technology Akure in 2010.

Sir, we are humbled that you accepted the invitation to enrich our knowledge with the wealth of your wisdom and exposure.  This may be the first time that our students (Global Leaders) have opportunity to listen to and interact with an International figure of great status.  (That is itself a form of invaluable learning).

Quality assurance is metaphorically speaking a sprint and at the same time, a marathon.  It is a sprint because the competitors cannot afford to lower his or her guards and relax at any point in time; and a marathon because it requires a lot of staying power.  In Salem University, we have resolved to be steadfast and consistent in adopting quality assurance mechanisms.  We know that issues related to quality are dynamic therefore we have embraced a dynamic and pro-active approach in pursuing our desire to be a world class University of excellence.  This is in conformity with the Bible Ecl. 9:10 which states that "whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might".

Quality assurance is top most in our scale of preference. All other issues such as student admission, staff recruitment, staff development, exchange programme, innovation and internally generated fund revolve around it.  So we have to get it right and are determined to do so.  In the word of the Chinese Philosopher, Lao Tzu, "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step".  Let us take that first step today.

Join me in welcoming Prof. Oluwagbemiro Jegede as he leads us in taking the first step."

Welcome address by Dr. Sunday Okpanachi, Chairman Quality Assurance Committee, at the sensitization address on Quality Assurance in Nigeria universities, by Prof. O. Jegede, Secretary to the Government of Kogi State of Nigeria, at Salem University, Lokoja, 5^th Feb., 2013.

"Protocols

It is my pleasure to warmly welcome our eminent dignitaries, Prof. O. Jegede, Secretary to the Government of Kogi State and his entourage, to Salem University. I also welcome the rest of you to this special occasion. I think that this is the first time in the recent history of this institution that we have the singular honour and privilege of hosting top functionaries of Kogi State Government. Moreover, the Secretary to the Government of Kogi State of Nigeria, who is our esteemed guest, is a Professor of repute with worldwide acclaim.

Today's occasion marks a very high point in Salem University's itinerary to institute quality assurance at the centre of activities, programmes and policies towards the realisation of its vision and mission. This is because our guest is one whose voice constitutes authority in that domain, among others, both nationally and internationally.

Secretary to Government, Sir, I would like to recall that we recently started to organize series of events to sensitize the entire staff of this university to the undisputable role of quality assurance in the delivery of the mandate of the University. A workshop on Capacity Building in Administrative Processes and Procedures has been organized for the Staff of the Registry to empower the administration's human capital and improve its institutional capacity. Another workshop on Academic report writing was organized for all the academic staff of the University. Other programmes, activities and mechanisms have been designed for implementation towards the enthronement of quality assurance in the realization of the mandate of Salem University.

Please permit me, at this juncture, to put in proper perspective these recent series of activities in the University.

Shortly on assuming office in December 2012, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Fuwape, got the University Senate to approve the setting up of the Quality Assurance and Learning Enhancement Committee.

That marked a novel direction for us as a young and upcoming institution: it is the prioritization of quality as a potent ingredient for the delivery of the mandate of the university.

The terms of reference of the Committee include, among others:

i) Coordinating, maintaining and upgrading teaching and instructional facilities,

Ii) Monitoring and ensuring that the university academic structures are established and maintained within the required academic and professional standards,

iii) Monitoring the learning environment,

iv) Providing any other advice on educational quality improvement in the best interest of our corporate existence.

The Salem University Quality Assurance Committee secured Senate approval for the implementation of programmes, activities and mechanisms for internal monitoring and evaluation of the university's processes of ensuring compliance with established practices, rules and regulations.

This is the background to the quality assurance activities mentioned earlier.

Your presence here Sir, is a prized contribution to the initiative and its concretization.

Quality assurance, according to Prof. A. M. Balogun of FUTA (2011), "is at the centre of the existence of any respectable institution". It is all the more so for  universities that deal in the transmission of knowledge through the core activities of teaching, learning, research and community out-reach and which have been known to have propelled the ascendancy of  peoples and nations.

The centrality of the role of the university in development is conveyed by this simple image conjured by Mrs Adebayo & co (2012): "If the universe has shrunken into a global village, the university by its mandate, is the village headmaster to give it direction, purpose, and to light its way to progress". The Universal headmaster mandate of the university is a weighty one and as Paul says in 1 Cor. 4 v2, to whom much is given, much is required. The University's mandate must be exercised with responsibility, integrity and transparency.

It is with this in view that both externally and internally (verifiable) mechanisms, policies, measures and resources put in place to monitor, evaluate, and assess the achievement and improvement of quality standards within the general framework of quality assurance should be accorded a pride of place.

The ultimate vision is to see quality assurance as "an attitude or ethics that influence every aspect of university life", to borrow the words of Prof. Ojerinde of JAMB.

This is the objective of Salem University as a young institution.

Secretary to the Government of Kogi State, Hon. Commissioners, the VC, Principal Officers, ladies and gentlemen, let me return to my primary duty to warmly welcome you to this occasion.

Thank you and God bless you."



Via: Salem University Lokoja

[Shola Sholaz]

I've really learnt something from all this. Very knowledgable i must say. Creatively written!