Our Universities Must Go Beyond Theory, Impact On Community - Kalu

From Aniekan ANIEKAN, Calabar 

The deputy speaker of the House of Representatives , Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu has stated that universities in the country must go beyond theory and impact on their various host communities .

Kalu made this known in Calabar while delivering the 37th Convocation Lecture of the University of Calabar, insisting that education will not be complete if the town does not feel the impact of the gown .

Delivering a key lecture themed: "Our gowns in town and in Cyber space: Sustainable and human centered education, the mandate of our universities 2025 to 2075, he said: "Universities are established as engines of progress and our universities must go beyond theory.

" Our education is incomplete if the town does not feel the impact of our gown. Education is not about acquiring knowledge but acquiring it to shape the society.

" As we approach 2075, our education must have a meaningful societal impact", he said.

He also called for a rethink to the approach to quota education and insisted that instead of geographic quotas we must prioritize gender parity and use quota as a tool for empowerment. emphasising that universities ought to adapt to the latest digital technologies.

He said it's a great honour to deliver the 37th Convocation Lecture of the University of Calabar saying he is a living proof that education has power, insisting that education should not be a privilege but a birthright.

Earlier, the chairman of the Convocation Lecture, Professor Eka Braide, said what is taught in a university has to be things that affect the society and research outcomes should influence policy.

Also speaking, the institution's Vice Chancellor, Professor Florence Obi said the institution is proud to have produced men and women who have helped shape Nigeria and indeed the world.

She added that the institution has come of age and its graduates have held its banner high.