The Head of the Department of Management and Accounting, Faculty of Administration at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof. Grace Akinola said on Friday that plans were ongoing for the establishment of OAU Business School.
She said the school was being processed alongside the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme and would commence after Senate approval.
Leading a delegation on a visit to the Punch Place, the headquarters of Punch Nigeria Limited, Akinola said that a site had already been earmarked for the project by the university. She added that the department currently offered 11 programmes.
The OAU team was received by Punch’s Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Joseph Adeyeye; the General Manager, Digital and Publications, Mr. Ademola Oni; Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, Mrs. Omolara Ogunleye; and General Manager, Corporate Services, Mrs. Olufolakemi Gbemuotor.
Akinola said: “The OAU Business School is in the pipeline. It is going pari passu with the DBA programme. A place has been earmarked for the building on the premises of the university but we are still looking for sponsors. It will start immediately after approval is given by the Senate”.
On the issues surrounding curriculum development in tertiary institutions, the don said: “There is no synergy between what is happening in the society and the curriculum. If you notice, the moment a curriculum is prepared, it will be there for years, and you know society is changing every second. What is expected is for lecturers to teach using practical examples and allow students to contribute.
“The problems we are having at the university level started from the foundation; nursery and primary, the syllabus at that level was just to teach pupils not how to engage critical thinking. That critical thinking aspect is very important. If schools can incorporate the old method of teaching subjects at the grade two level into the Nigerian Certificate in Education syllabus, I think that will help a lot”.
The HoD felicitated with Adeyeye, who is an alumnus of the institution, on his appointment, saying: “We are proud and glad that one of us was appointed to the helms of affairs of such a reputable organisation”.
The MD, who appreciated the team for the visit, advised the institution to seek collaboration with other business schools locally and internationally in the process of establishing its own. He added that there was a need for tertiary institutions to focus on the specialisation of students in specific areas and unbundle some academic programmes.
Others in the delegation were Dr. Godwin Inneh; Associate Professor of Accounting; Dr. Abiodun Oladejo ; Dr. John Ayoola; and Associate Professor of Business Administration, Dr. Toyese Agbaje.
