The Vice-Chancellor of KolaDaisi University (KDU), Ibadan, Professor Olajumoke Morenikeji, has said private universities cannot afford to compromise academic quality, stressing that students and their parents make significant financial and personal sacrifices to secure university education.
Morenikeji, who has experience in both public and private university systems, said private universities must continually raise their standards in teaching, research, student development, staff quality and institutional governance if they are to justify the confidence and resources invested in them.
According to her, the responsibility of a private university goes beyond providing students with academic qualifications. Institutions must equip graduates with the knowledge, practical skills, character and entrepreneurial capacity required to compete effectively in a global economy.
“Parents make enormous sacrifices to send their children to private universities. Therefore, we have a responsibility to ensure that the students receive value for the resources committed to their education,” she said.
Morenikeji said private universities should see the competitive nature of Nigeria’s higher education sector as an incentive to pursue continuous improvement rather than as a reason to lower standards.
She said KolaDaisi University was developing a distinctive institutional identity around academic excellence, entrepreneurship, innovation and the holistic development of students.
“Our vision is to produce students who are globally relevant, academically grounded, innovative and equipped to thrive in a changing world. We want them not only to enter the job market, but also to have the confidence and capacity to create opportunities and contribute meaningfully to society,” she said.
“Our niche is to build students, not just academically, but also as entrepreneurs, so that they can learn how to stand on their own, enter the job market or create jobs.”
The Vice-Chancellor said the changing nature of the global economy made it increasingly important for universities to prepare students for a world in which conventional employment could no longer be the only measure of career success.
She said graduates should be equipped to identify opportunities, solve problems, innovate and create value, whether they eventually work for organisations or establish enterprises of their own.
“We want our students to leave the university with the confidence and competence to create opportunities, not merely to wait for opportunities to come to them,” she said.
Morenikeji rejected the perception that private universities were inherently inferior to public universities, arguing that the ownership structure of an institution should not be the basis for judging the quality of education it provides.
“Private universities are not inferior to federal universities. What matters is the quality of education, leadership and the environment provided for learning,” she said.
She said universities should instead be judged by the quality of their academic programmes, the competence of their staff, the quality of their facilities, the strength of their research, student outcomes, governance systems and the values they instil in their graduates.
“Whether a university is public or private, what should matter is whether it is producing graduates who are competent, ethical, innovative and capable of contributing meaningfully to society,” she said.
Having worked within both public and private university systems, Morenikeji said she had come to appreciate the importance of institutional leadership in determining whether an institution fulfils its potential.
The Vice-Chancellor identified strong, ethical and purposeful leadership as one of the most important factors in building a successful university.
She said university leaders must provide a clear direction, establish appropriate standards and create an institutional culture in which accountability, hard work, professionalism and excellence are valued.
“Leadership is extremely important because most things flow from the top. Once the head is good, focused and clear about what the institution wants to achieve, the rest of the organisation is more likely to follow,” she said.
According to her, leadership must also be reflected in the way an institution treats its staff and students, manages its resources and responds to challenges.
She said university administrators must understand that they are stewards of an institution and should therefore place its long-term interests above personal considerations.
Morenikeji also identified transparency, accountability and ethical conduct as essential to building trust among students, parents, staff, regulators and other stakeholders.
She said leaders must be willing to take decisions in the overall interest of the institution, even when such decisions may not always be convenient.
“All you should be thinking about is the good of the university, the good of the system and the welfare of the students and staff,” she said.
The Vice-Chancellor said KolaDaisi University would continue to strengthen its academic programmes, staff development, student support systems, entrepreneurship initiatives, research and institutional governance as part of its commitment to delivering value and preparing graduates for a competitive global environment.
She stressed that the ultimate measure of a university was not simply the number of students enrolled or the certificates awarded, but the quality of people produced and the contribution they subsequently make to society.
“Ultimately, the success of a university should be seen in the quality of graduates it produces, the problems they are able to solve and the positive impact they make in society,” she said.
