edited by: GEOFFREYDAVIES ALAN L. MCCLELLAND
cooperative education
The Need for Cooperation between University Chemical Education and Industry in Nigeria Durojaiye A. Ajeyalemi' School of Chemical Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England
The need to forge closer interaction between industry and university education has long received attention, especially in the more developed nations of the world. Cooperation between industry and universities in the area of chemistry, perhaps more than in any other subject, has been of concern to many (1-9): The purpose of this paper is to review the current situation between the university chemical education and industry in Nigeria and to make a case for stronger links between them. The Present State of Cooperation in Nigeria Nigeria is a rapidly developing country that has devoted much of its resources to education since indewendence in 1960. In the university sector alone, twelve of the present thirteen universities were established durinr this oeriod. and each of these thirtcen ha3 ,I chrmi>tr). drparunt-nr. Iltra.c\.er, this ravirll\. cxvnndinr e d u w t i ~ m.\\,1111.111 :, u~rnllcledwith tech ndlo&al and indistrial backwardness { l o ) . A survey of the forms of interaction between industry and universities in the field of chemistry has been conducted recently (I1). It was found that most Nigerian chemical industries have multinational connections, and despite the Nigerian Enterprises Promotion Decrees of 1972 and 1977 which require majority Nigerian shareholding in most enterprises, as well as significant Nigerian participation in their management, the foreign technical partners still control the technical management of the industries. It is against this background that the present state of cooperation between industry and university chemical education is described. Only two forms of cooperation were found to he widely operational: vacation employment for chemistry undergraduates, and sporadic organization of visits to industries by chemistry lecturers and students. Cooperation on teaching and research, which are regarded as very important (5, 7) were virtually non-existent. The conclusion then is that university/industry interaction in chemistry in Nigeria is a t its inThis feature presents information and commentary on all aspects of extramural work experience as pad of the training of chemistry students at all levels, as well as broader discussions of different mecha"isms of career education. Its aim is to pIbl c ze eflons lo nlprove the Dreparaton 01 sludenl~for the *UI d 01 *or* B a n an cles and lelters are consideredfor publication. Address all correspondence to Dr. Geoffrey Dauies, Chemistry Department. Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115. Geollrey Oavles obtained his PhD at the University of Birmingham in 1966 under 6. F. Wells. Aner postdoctoral work with Drs. K. Kustin (Brandeis). N. Sutin (Brookhaven) and E. F. Caldin (Kent) on fast solution phase reactions, he joined Nmlheastm University, where he is cunently Associate Professor of Chemisby and Director of me Doctoral Internship Program in Chemistry (established in 1972). His industrial experience includes an industrial internship and collaborative research wim Imperial Chemical Industries. Aided by a grant from the Dreyfus Foundation, he has actively promoted the establishment of new and effective a c b &mi=-industrial cooperative programs f w chemistry students.
fancy and a t a much lower level than in many other countries (71. Manv reasons for this lack of coooeration were indicated, hut a f"ll discussion is outside the scope of this paper. Suffice it to say that neither industry nor universities have recornized the need to cooperate. The Need to Cooperate
Manpower Provisions One major reason for developing cooperation between industry and universities in chemistry is to make the education and training in universities es realistic as possible, thereby fulfilling the needs of industry for appropriate qualified manpower (5).This could not apply more to Nigeria, where there is an increasing demand for functional, high level manpower to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding economy (12,13). The development of the iron and steel industry, the petrochemical industry, and the agro-chemical and allied industries are some of the areas where professional chemists are needed. The bulk of these chemists are to be produced in Nigerian universities, and it is time the curriculum planners took the vocational future of their undergraduates into consideration.The lack of cooperation between universities and industry in chemistry is an indication of a lack of relationship between theory and practice in the education of Nigerian ehemists. Successful cooperation will not only make chemical education in the universities relevant to the emnomic and industrial development of Nigeria, but also will provide industry the opportunity to express its needs and preferences for chemists. Research There is a strong need to develop indigenous technology in Nigeria (13,141.This will come in part as a result of university teachers lookine a t the vroblems of local industrv as research prthlen~s.This is ,111 the more necessary i i ~t is remcmlwred lhar t l J the hulk o i t h r r o u n t w ' i srientl.ts a r e ~ ~ ~ n c c n ~ r n r r d in the universities, and (2) research and development facilities are virtuallv non-existent in Nirerian industries. Research is needed, for example, to find ways of using local raw materials. Research cooperation between industry and university chemistry departments could thus he beneficial to both industry and universities, as well as making a meaningful impact on the socio-economic life of the country. Enrichment of Teaching and Learning It is accepted by educators that learning is enhanced greatly by first-hand experience. Direct experience, which could enrich the educational experiences of both chemistry teachers and their students could he provided through various patterns of interaction between universities and industry. For example, work experiences for students, part-time teaching in universities by industrialists, consultancy for university staff, etc. are some ways of making teaching and learning lively. Continuing Education of Chemisfs Chemical knowledge is growing a t an increasing pace every day, and so is the development of new techniques and proPermanent Address: Faculty of Education, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria. Volume 58
Number 4
April 1981
361
cesses. Thus, it is very easy for those teaching and researching in universities to become out of touch with practitioners of chemistry in industry and vice versa. For industry to utilize the advances in knowledge, their chemists have to he updated ( 1 5 ) . E~~~though most chemists employed in ~ iin. dustries have administrative and other non-technical responsihilities, the few in technical fields usually haveheen sent overseas for updating courses' due to an of courses locally. This is a challenge to local university chemistry departments, especially those with relatively sophisticated equipment. Opportunities for better understanding the problems of industry could he provided through direct student involvement and other forms of cooperation could develop. Financial Support
Industry generates the wealth for maintaining and develm i n e universitv education indirectlv through taxation. Successf;l cooperation would afford industry the opportunity of makinp - sure that funds contributed bv i t are .properlv . . utilized. On the other hand, an awareness of the financial problems of universities gained through cooperative endeavors could encourage industry to contribute both money and equipment directly to universities. Especially, industry could support research by awarding grants or fellowship, or by sponsoring chemistrv nost ueraduates. It is commendable that the Nieerian Chemical and Textiles Company in Lagos is sponsoring a graduate student in polymer technology every year a t the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, as a result of requests from
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Journal of Chemical Education
that university chemistry department. Other industries should follow this example. The author is grateful to Professor M. J. Frazer and Dr. R. ~ A. Y. Jones ~ of the ~ University i of East ~ Anglia~for discussion and advice during the course of this Literature Cited (1) Preliminary Report: lnternsfiond Conference on Education in Chemistry, 1970, s ~ ~ ~ C O ~I O J. ~ ~CHEM. ~ ~ ~~EDUC., , ~ 58.14~ (1971). ~ A ~ (2) sheppsrd. N.. them. B P ; ~ .7.70. , (19711. (3) ''&port ofthe Committoe of Enquiry into the Relationship between University Comes in Chemistry and the Need8 of Industry: Royal Institute of Chemisiry, London. 1970. (4) Skolnik,H.,J. CHEM.EDUC..18,566, (1971). 151 Frazer. M. J. and Laslett. R. L.. "Coaoeration between Universiiv and lndustrv in Chemistry," UNESCO. Paris, 1976. (6) KatriUky,A. R.,Chrm. Brit., LZ.[1] 251,(1976) on uni(7) F vecsityilmdustrylr~~.~..-~ ~M H.,~( ~ d~i t ~ ~~):, "pL--:r ~~eofpUNI o..., ~r tZSCO I internationalsympwium ~ , ,.. Toronto,Csnada. 1978"UNESCO Di~ i r i o nof scientific Resoarch and Hieher Education.. Paris.. 1979. (8) Davies,G,J. CHEM. EDUC.,S6,504 11979). (9) Davie8.G.. and McCiel1and.A. L.,.J.CH*:M. EDIIC,ST, 297, 489 (19Ro). (10) Ekong, D. E. U.."Problems Facing Chemists in Developing Cnuntrier"in Freemantle. M. H. (Editor). UNESCO,Paris, 1919. (11) Ajeydemi, D. A."An Investigation intoFormsof Universitynndustry Interactionsin Chemistry in Nigeria," M.Se. Dissertation. Universityof East Anglia, 1979. 1121 "Third National Develooment Plan. L97&60." Federal Ministrv of Economic Development, Lsgw, 1975. (13) Dikko, M., "Training Needs in lndusirialiring Society." Papa presentedst theCommonwealth Regional Seminar on"Technical Education and Industry: University of lbadan. April 1978. (14) ''National Policy on Education, Nigeria." Federal Ministry of Education Lag-,
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(15) Cook.WilliamB..'~ContinuingEdueationiorChemisrsinlndustry."ADiseuseionPeper presented to the IUPACICTC, 1977. See also p. 29 in Kornhauae~,A . (Editor). "Chemical Education in the Coming Decades: Problems and Challenge: DDU UNIVERZUM, Ljubjans, 1979.
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