Erosion Of Autonomy: The Pitfall Of Educational Management .
Vol.10(4), pp. 33-38, April 2018DOI: 10.5897/IJEAPS2017.0521Article Number: DBA188056736ISSN 2141-6656Copyright 2018Author(s) retain the copyright of this national Journal of EducationalAdministration and Policy StudiesFull Length Research PaperErosion of autonomy: The pitfall of educationalmanagement in Nigeria universitiesEdith O. OlorunsolaFaculty of Education, Institute of Education, University of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.Received 25 April, 2017, Accepted 2 March, 2018This study examined the concept of autonomy and its effect on the management of universities inNigeria. Four major dimensions of university autonomy were investigated. An instrument titled Erosionof University Autonomy Questionnaire (EUAQ) was used to collect data. The instrument wasadministered for four universities. The study employed a descriptive research of the survey type. Thedata collected ware subjected to frequency counts, percentages and correlation matrix for analysis. Theinstrument used was subjected to thorough screening by experts in educational management and tests,and measurements. Both face and content validity of the instrument was ascertained by itsappropriateness in measuring what it was supposed to measure. Results showed that the levels ofautonomy in the four dimensions were high and there was significant relationship between the fourdimensions of autonomy (organization, financial, staffing and academic autonomy and management ofthe universities). Recommendations were made that if the university autonomy is preserved, it willinstill confidence in the Vice Chancellors, and management to act; moreover, it will promote a highsense of meaning, competence and commitment among the staff and management. This will enhancethe ability to be resourceful, innovative, improve productivity and the use of initiative by both themanagement and workers. In addition, brain drain, turnover and conflict in the universities will be at itslow ebb.Key words: Autonomy, management, organization, financial, staffing.INTRODUCTIONAutonomy is a concept that every human being enjoysand aspires for. Cambridge Advanced Learner‟sDictionary (2010) defined autonomy as a right of a groupof people to govern itself, or to organize its own activities.Hughes et al. (2009) perceived autonomy as the degreeto which a job provides an individual with some controlover what he does and how he does it. He furtherreiterated that someone with considerable autonomywould have discretion in scheduling work and decidingthe procedures used in accomplishing it.Draft (2008) saw autonomy as the degree to which theworker has freedom, discretion and self- determination inplanning and carrying out tasks. He also added thatautonomy contributes to experienced responsibility foroutcomes of work. Autonomy is the degree to which a jobgives employees the freedom, independence andE-mail: funmiladebayo@yahoo.com.Author agree that this article remain permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons AttributionLicense 4.0 International License
34Int. J. Educ. Admin. Pol. Stud.discretion to schedule their work and determine theprocedures used in completing it (Mc Schane and VonGlinow, 2005). They further opined that work motivationand performance increase when employees feelpersonally accountable for the outcomes of their effort.Autonomy also contributes to the feeling of experiencedresponsibility. It is expected then that if the university isgiven full autonomy, the management and staff wouldhave control of their work environment and feelresponsible for their successes and failures.Luthan(2005)perceivedautonomy asjobindependence. This is how much freedom and control theemployees have to keep for scheduling their work,making decisions or determining the means toaccomplish objectives. He also shared the view of McSchane and Von Glinow (2005) that autonomy leads tothe feeling of responsibility as workers are encouraged todevelop and use their own unique approach to work,allowed some degree of freedom to do certain things inthe work place and even make suggestions for necessarychanges in all phases of the policy and operations.Mullins (2005) introduced another dimension bydescribing autonomy as a way of building spirit, moraleand commitment in any organization. He also reiteratedthat people should be in control of at least some part oftheir lives and that they should be given some influenceover things that affect them.Obviously speaking, university autonomy especiallyacademic autonomy has been a matter of discourseworldwide particularly in academic circles and institutionsof higher learning. Altbach (2015) described academicautonomy as a core value of higher educationeverywhere and that without it, quality of teaching andresearch are constrained. Universities are seen asreservoir of knowledge all over the world, and it will berendered inactive if the freedom is curtailed or tamperedwith.The confederation of Indian Universities (2004) definesthe principle of university autonomy as the necessarydegree of independence from external interference thatthe university requires in respect of its internalorganization and governance, the internal distribution offinancial resources, the recruitment of its staff, the settingof the condition of study and finally the freedom toconduct teaching and research.The concern for autonomy in Nigeria Universities ismost desirable for obvious reasons. University is thehighest educational institution, the highest level of humancapital development and the nation‟s hope for nationaldevelopment.Over the years, management of universities in Nigeriahas witnessed myriad of challenges particularly under themilitary regime of 1973 where the autonomy of theacademic staff was seriously infringed on. According toOnyeonuoru (2005) a trade dispute between thegoverning council of the university teachers in 1973 onthe review of the condition of service led to a strike by theuniversity lecturers. This led to the need for the governingcouncil to review the conditions of service, and everyattempt to secure government attention on this wasthwarted by top officials of Federal Ministry of Education.The Punch Tuesday April 14 (2015) Punch, page 14gave a report titled "Experts Canvass New Chapter inAppointment of Vice-Chancellors". Prof. Oloyede at apublic lecture at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife,spoke on the theme “The Journey to Excellence: MakingNigeria a Tertiary Education Hub For Africa". He frownedat the localization of students‟ admission, staffrecruitment and above all, the politicization of theheadship of the universities in Nigeria. He further addedthat the appointment of Vice Chancellor has becomecontroversial, resulting in ethnic groups coming togetherto “fight” one another once there is need for a new VC.Besides, Oloyede noted that the issue had put ViceChancellor under pressure, especially during recruitmentof members of staff and admission of students to schools.Also, a retired Professor of Political Science, KayodeSoremekun in an interview with Punch correspondent,said the development was promoting mediocrity in thesystem and he described it as “ghettorisation” of theoffice of the Vice chancellorThese academic dons, Professors Olukoju, Okebukola,Oloyede and Soremekun in the same Punch, discussedhow the post of Vice chancellors are now zoned toindigenes of the locality where the Universities aresituated, thereby sidetracking competence, merit andintellectual savvy. He said it reduces the quality ofgovernance and academic delivery in the universities.Another major area discussed by these dons is theinvolvement of the natural rulers and the localcommunities in the administrations of many of theuniversities by pressurizing university councils to appointindigenes or face their wrath. “Council buckles under thepressure and appoint the indigene. The indigene VC inturn shares academic and other appointments amongmembers of staff from local governments in the state andthe university is turned into a shameful satire of aninstitution with merit compromised in governance.He further added that patronage of the communityleaders who pressed for the appointment, is a necessarypayback through dubious contracts and admission of lessqualified candidates from the community. He said allthese negatively affect good governance in NigerianUniversity system and depressing quality of the deliverysystem while Ibukun (1997) observed that universitygovernance in Nigeria today is nothing but crisismanagement.University autonomy is the basic principle that anchorsthe whole system, ensures the stability and actualizationof all the goals and aspirations of the university. In orderfor the universities to be run smoothly and successfully, alevel of autonomy must be accorded than viewing the
Olorunsolaimportance of his level of education in the changingglobalization and disseminating of knowledge, trainingmanpower for social economic development for thenation and also rendering consultancy services to thecommunity. Organizational autonomy in the university isall embracing, it includes financial autonomy, staffing andacademic autonomy. If the government of the day wouldallow the Vice Chancellors and the universitymanagement to handle all these without interference, theuniversities would be better than what they are now. Ifuniversities are given the power to freely decide on itsinternal organization, such as the choice of who rules orbecomes their Vice chancellor, decision making bodieswill have legal entities and internal academic structures.With the ability to select and decide on the length ofyears of these executive leadership, universitiesgoverning bodies and take decisions on long termstrategic issues, such as curricular and staff promotions,universities should have a say in these matters as theyaffect them directly.Financial autonomy refers to a university‟s ability tomanage its funds and allocate its budget independently.This is the crux of stability of any institution. Theuniversities in Nigeria are financed by the federal andstate governments depending on the type of theuniversity, and subventions are given to theseuniversities to maintain them.Many of the universities derived their subventions fromthe state government particularly the state owneduniversities, making it difficult for the Vice Chancellorsand university management to pay workers and theseuniversities well. Workers‟ salaries are not paid as atwhen due, talkless of all the allowances of lectures. Allthese are causing demotivation and brain drain for thelecturers.Government interference on how to charge tuition feesis dominant in the universities, as these open up newprivate funding streams, which make up a significantpercentage of university budget. The freedom to chargeand set the level of tuition fees is a crucial factor indeciding institutional strategies.Staffing autonomy refers to a university‟s ability todecide freely on issues related to human resourcemanagement, including recruitments, salaries, dismissalsand promotions. In order to compete in global highereducation environment, universities must be able toemploy the most suitable and qualified academic staffwithout external prescriptions or interference. Nigeriauniversities nowadays side track merit and merit isoutlawed to “who you know syndrome”. University affairshave been politicized, and if university autonomy is voidof interference, academic excellence will prevail, totalman will be produced and total quality will be enhanced.Academic autonomy refers to a university‟s ability todecide on various academic issues, such as studentadmissions, academic content, quality assurance, the35introduction of degree programmes and languages ofinstruction.The ability to decide on overall student number and setadmission criteria are fundamental aspects of institutionalautonomy. The number of study places has greatimplication on universities that are always under pressureof the politicians in the selection of students for admissionwhile National Universities Commission (NUC) alwayscheckmate the universities in the area of introduction ofdegree programmes and academic content which theysay is for quality control. All these interference arehindrances to proper functioning of these universities.Ojedele and Ilusanya (2006) described universityautonomy as protection of the universities frominterference by government officials in the day to dayrunning of the institution especially on the issues relatedto the admission of students, the appointment anddismissal of academic staff including the ViceChancellors, the determination of content of universityeducation and the control of the degree standard, and thedetermination of size and the rate of growth. Governmentinvolvement in university governance has been a point ofstrife between the government and Academic Staff Unionof Universities (ASUU) over some time (Ajayi andAyodele, 2002). Autonomy is the hallmark for excellencein our universities. Babalola et al. (2007) supported thatuniversity autonomy and academic freedom has over theyears been a recurring issue in Academic Staff Union ofUniversities‟ demand from the federal government.The purpose of the study therefore is to examine thelevel of autonomy accorded the universities in south westNigeria in the four dimension mentioned and to know ifthere is any significant relationship between erosion ofautonomy and management of the universities in southwest Nigeria.Research questionThis research question was raised to guide the study:What is the level of autonomy in south west universitiesin Nigeria?Research hypothesisThis hypothesis was formulated in the study: Is there anysignificant relationship between erosion of autonomy andmanagement of the universities?METHODOLOGYThe survey type is a descriptive research. The population consistedof all the lecturers in south west universities in Nigeria. The sampleconsisted of 120 lecturers selected from four universities, twofederal and two state universities with 30 respondents from each.
36Int. J. Educ. Admin. Pol. Stud.Table 1. Level of autonomy in south west universities in Nigeria.Dimensions of university autonomyOrganizational AutonomyFinancial AutonomyStaffing AutonomyAcademic AutonomyLevelLow (0.00-28.31)Moderate (28.32-56.60)High (56.61-85.00)Frequency6668926%0.441.857.9Low (0.00-16.65)Moderate (16.66-33.20)High (33.3-50.0)106968940.643.555.9Low (0.00-13.32)Moderate (13.33-26.63)High (26.64-40.00)176349491.139.659.3Low (0.00-19.98)Moderate (19.99-39.95)High (39.96-60.00)1632512591.020.378.7Stratified sampling technique was used to select the sample.The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire titled„Erosion of University Autonomy (EUAQ)‟. Face and content validityprocedures were ascertained by experts and the reliability of theinstrument was estimated using Cronbach alpha. A reliabilitycoefficient of 0.92 was obtained. Hence, the instrument wasconsidered reliable enough for the study.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONResearch questionWhat is the level of autonomy in South WestUniversities in Nigeria?In answering the question, scores on the dimensions ofuniversity autonomy (organizational, financial, staffingand academic autonomy) were computed. These scoreswere distributed into “low”, “moderate” and “high” levelsof autonomy using percentile distribution formula. Table 1and Figure 1 show that the level of autonomy on each ofthe dimensions of university autonomy was high:Organizational autonomy (57.9%), financial autonomy(55.9%), staffing autonomy (59.3%) and academicautonomy (78.7%). This shows that the level of autonomyin South west universities in Nigeria is high.Research hypothesisThere is no significant relationship between theerosion of autonomy and management of theuniversitiesThe correlation matrix in Table 2 reveals that there wassignificant relationship between erosion of organizationalautonomy (r 0.83, P 0.05), financial autonomy (r 0.834, P 0.05), staffing autonomy (r 0.834, P 0.05),academic autonomy (r 0.836, P 0.05) andmanagement of universities at 0.05 level of significance.Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected.DISCUSSIONThis result is in accord with Ojedele and Ilusanya (2006)that perceived autonomy as protection of the universitiesfrom interference by government officials in the day today running of the institutions. This result portrays theuniversity as not having interference from any quarter. Italso shows that they have organizational, financial,staffing and academic independence, while it negates theassertion of Ibukun (1991) that university governance inNigeria today is nothing but crisis management.This result shows that erosion of university autonomysignificantly influences the management of the universityand if the autonomy is eroded, it would have great impacton the management of the universities. This is indisharmony with Draft (2008) who saw autonomy as thedegree to which the managers/workers have freedom,discretion and self-determination in planning and carryingout tasks. If the autonomy of the universities is eroded,there is no way it will not hinder the management of theuniversities.CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONSIt is concluded from the findings of this study that thelevels of autonomy in the universities in the four areasexamined are high. It is also shown that erosion of
nizationalAutonomyFinancial AutonomyStaffing AutonomyAcademic AutonomyFigure 1. Level of autonomy in south west universities in Nigeria.Table 2. Correlation matrix showing erosion of university autonomy and management of the universities in South West *1.000**P 0.05, N 1600.university autonomy significantly influences themanagement of the universities. Based on the findings ofthis study, the following recommendations were made:1. Every effort to maintain and sustain the high level ofautonomy in the universities must be maintained foracademic excellence in the universities and for bettermanagement.2. Every effort should be made not to erode theautonomy of the universities so that management of theuniversities may not be hampered. Once theorganizational, financial, staffing and academic autonomyare eroded in the universities, the management of thisgreat institution will be jeopardized.3. Every effort should be made by the universitymanagement to make the lecturers comfortable so thatacademic work will not be hindered.CONFLICT OF INTERESTSThe author has not declared any conflict of interests.REFERENCESAjayi IA,Ayodele JB (2002). Fundamentals of educationalmanagement. Ado-Ekiti: Greenline Publishers.Altbach P (2015). Academic freedom: International warning signs.
38Int. J. Educ. Admin. Pol. 1.htm) retrieved 20thSeptember 2016.Babalola JB, Jayeola AO, Okediran A (2007). University autonomy andfinancial reforms in Nigeria: historical backgrounds, issues andrecommendations from experience. In J. B. Babalola and B.O.Emenemu (eds) Issues in higher education: Research evidence fromsub-sahara Africa. Lagos: Bolabay publications.Cambridge Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary (2010). CambridgeAdvanced Learners Dictionary, 3rd ed. Cambridge University Press;New YorkConfederation of Indian Universities (2004). Autonomy and academicfreedom. (www. Google.com); March, 2005.Draft RL (2008). New Era of Management Mc Schane, S.L and VonCalinow, M. A (2005), Vandabilt University, 2nd Ed. Thompson, SouthWestern. Organisational behaviour, Mc Gram Hill Irwin.Hughes RL, Ginneth RC, Curphy JG (2009). Leadership: Enhancing thelessons of experience (6th ed). New York: Mc Graw.Ibukun WO (1997). Educational management: theory and practice. AdoEkiti: Green line publishers.Luthan F (2005). Organisational behavior, (7th edition). Mc-Graw-Hill.129.Mc Schane LS, Von Glinow MA (2005). Organisational Behaviour. NewYork, McGraw-Hill, Irwin.Mullins LJ (2005). Management and Organizational Behaviour (7ed)New Jersey. Prentice Hall.Ojedele P, Ilusanya G (2006). Planning and policy of higher educationin Nigeria. In J.B. Babalola, O. A. Ayeni, S. O. Adedeji, A. A.Suleiman and M. O. Arikewuyo (eds) Educational management:thoughts and practice. Ibadan; codat publications.Onyeonuoru I (2005). University autonomy and cost recovery policies:Union cantestation and sustainable university system in Nigeria.www.portal.unesco.org/educationltr/enu.php retrieved 15th June,2005.The Punch Tuesday April 14 (2005). Higher Education; ExpertsCanvanss new chapter in Appointment of Vice-chancellers.
Luthan (2005) perceived autonomy as job independence. This is how much freedom and control the employees have to keep for scheduling their work, making decisions or determining the means to accomplish objectives. He also shared the view
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