29th May, 2019
Mrs Ajibola Ponle, the Registrar of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), has urged universities in Nigeria to promote human-centred education in order to become 21st century institutions.
Ponle said this in Ibadan on Tuesday at the 2019 Registry Discourse of the University of Ibadan.
The Registrar, who spoke on ‘Promoting the Human Agenda in the Work Place: The Challenge of the 21st Century University,’ said many jobs would be replaced with machines as seen in other developed countries.
Ponle stressed the need for Nigerian universities to be proactive and align with technological advancement for effective and productivity.
She said: “Globally the common denominator that currently runs through all discourse around the work place is the future of work or the new world of work.
“Technology including artificial intelligence, robotics and sensors entails countless opportunities to improve work.
“One important development is that the boundaries of universities are fast dissapearing with increase access to knowledge and data from anywhere in the world by anyone who has the access to the worldwide web.
“Universities will therefore need to promote continuous and non-lateral learning; it means that universities need to respond to this trend by identifying those at risk profession and develop alternative programs or adapted curricula that will provide the capabilities required by industry.
“What are we doing in Nigeria to support the industry that is producing jobs and creating wealth in Nigeria?”
Prof. Idowu Olayinka, Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan and chairman of the occasion, emphasised the need for better attitude at the work place.
“It is not everything that technology will do; good attitude and commitment to work are essential for productivity,” he said.
Earlier, Mrs Olubunmi Faluyi, Registrar of University of Ibadan, stated that the annual registry discourse was geared toward shaping intellectual capabilities as well as building capacity.
“The Registry as the hub of university administration is service -centered; hence the need to build solid based managerial capacity.
“Human capital development is the key to effectiveness and efficiency of any organisation,” she said.