‘Recruitment of foreign teachers will boost KUST profile’

Following pronouncement of Vice Chancellor, Kano University of Science and Technology (KUST), Wudil, Prof. Shehu Alhaji Musa, that the institution has recruited 15 foreign professors to join its faculty base, stakeholders have described the development as a positive step capable of improving the status of Nigerian universities on the global scale.

The decision, they asserted, would not only improve the institution’s ranking, but also provide them with the expected staff mix needed by every university.

Vice Chancellor of Osun State University, Prof. Labode Popoola said: “So long as they need them, I don’t see anything wrong with it. That is what a university is called. It is a good step. It means that the world is showing interest in Nigerian universities. Our universities are not very well-rated because our staff mix is too localised. We should celebrate them. It should improve their rating.

“In those days at the University of Ibadan, there were lecturers from all over the world. Even in our secondary schools, we had Indians and Pakistanis teaching. I attended Government College, Ibadan, and my Chemistry teacher was a Pakistani. So, honestly, it is a credit to the school and don’t also forget that we have Nigerians all over the world working in different places. There is hardly any university in the world where you do not have Nigerian.”

Corroborating Popoola’s view, former Vice Chancellor of Caleb University, Prof. Ayodeji Olukoju, said in global ranking, the more international staff you have, the higher your ranking, thus it is a good factor to be considered.

He said: “KSUT recruitment of foreign teachers could be in critical areas of need. I remember as a vice chancellor, we had problem getting people in some areas like computer science. It was difficult getting professors, PhD holders in those areas.

“We need to know how they were recruited. If they are experts in subjects where Nigerians are competent, then it’s something else. We also need to look at the foreign exchange components. Even if they are paid in naira, will they not do remittance? You know that Nigeria is losing valuable money on exchange through remittance. We also need to look at religious and cultural compatibility and so many other factors, so as to have a balanced view of whether they could have been replaced locally.”