UniJos VC: Teachers least recognised in Nigeria
Vice Chancellor of University of Jos, Professor Tanko Ishaya, says the teaching profession is not adequately recognized compared to other jobs in the country. Prof. Ishaya made the statement at the Distinguished Alumni Lecture, which featured Chief Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, as the guest lecturer, […]
University of Jos main gate
Vice Chancellor of University of Jos, Professor Tanko Ishaya, says the teaching profession is not adequately recognized compared to other jobs in the country.
Prof. Ishaya made the statement at the Distinguished Alumni Lecture, which featured Chief Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, as the guest lecturer, on Friday.
The lecture, titled “The Nigerian Justice System in a Digital Age: Opportunities, Challenges and the Road Ahead”, attracted a cross-section of eminent personalities from the legal and academic communities.
The Vice Chancellor, while giving his remarks, pleaded with the Attorney General of the Federation to look into the plight of university lecturers and other teachers across institutions of learning, noting that teachers in other countries of the world do not have such difficulties.
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According to the Vice Chancellor, the minister has the capacity to ensure that the right thing is done, just as he did for the attainment of local autonomy in the country after several past attempts.
“Teachers are very important but they are the least to be recognized in Nigeria. This is not what is going on in the other part of the world. As the Attorney General, you are the only one who has that gut to ensure LGAs get autonomy. We had several Attorneys general but you are the only one who has that gust,” the Vice Chancellor said.
Prof. Ishaya stressed that when teachers are well supported, they can improve themselves and deliver quality education, adding, “We believe that better teacher welfare translates to better quality outcomes. That is my plea.”
Speaking further on the topic of the lecture, the Vice Chancellor advised participants, particularly law students and legal professionals to embrace digital technology in the legal profession.
He said, “Justice system is not exempted. Technology will continue to improve efficiency and enhance access to justice and poster transparency in the justice system. The role of AI is to augment human expertise.
“It is not to take away human expertise. You must continue to read and think as the demands for it remain. Yes, there are challenges because AI can generate fake cases, as such lawyers have to be very careful.”
The Vice Chancellor, however commended the federal government for approving Unijos as one of the universities to get the Centre of Artificial Intelligence in the country.