By Olimatou Coker
Prof Pierre Gomez, the Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology has said governance of universities is a matter of strategic national importance and therefore there is a need to fully understand everything about it.
Minister Gomez made this statement yesterday at a stakeholder forum called to understand the role and good practices of the university Governing Councils”, held at NAQAA Conference Hall.
He said Governing Councils are government representatives at universities, and as such, when things are not going well in universities, the first people to be held responsible are the Governing Council members.
“They represent the government and speak on behalf of the State and therefore they are not trade unions or rebellious groups. They are not there to propagate their own interest or vision, but they spearhead government agenda and cannot speak against government. In fact they are government,” the minister explained to his audience.
He said the powers delegated from the president to the Minister of Higher Education is what is passed down to the Governing Council to work with the management in ensuring that rules are applied and obeyed. He said this must be understood by management, staff and students of universities.
The minister said accordingly, membership of a university Governing Council is not just an appointment, but also a call to national duty that requires integrity, vision, humility and unwavering commitment to the public good.
