| Our univeristy system has failed, here’s how to fix it |
| Written by Eugene N. Nforngwa |
| Monday, 12 April 2010 14:35 |
 Dr Nick Ngwanyam, the CEO and Founder of St Louse Group, Inc. is a renowned surgeon and urologist. But more and more, he is introducing himself to the public as a blunt politician, ready to sail troubled waters. Critics have called his plan to run for Senate elections on the ticket of the governing party overly ambitious. But being a tested medical doctor with one of the best private practices in the country, Dr Ngwanyam is difficult to dismiss as foolhardy, even when passing for a politician. Truth is, when you get to meet him, Dr Ngwanyam has an opinion on almost anything of public interest: development, education, health, poverty and you can name it. But also, he has spoken upfront on issues fellow politicians will rather leave for sideline gossip. For instances, asked why he opposes the setting up of state university in Santa, he blurts: “The North West is not Santa. The North West is like a calabash. Santa is on the neck out of the calabash. If you put wine in a calabash, it goes into the body of that calabash. It does not linger around the neck at the exit point. That is common sense ... There couldn’t be any other justification than a political end when we insist that water should flow up stream.” In the following interview, he shows off some more straight talk as he argues about the urgency of the university and lays out a plan that in many respects could well be the first of its kind anywhere in the world. And of course he tackles what in his own words he calls the Santa “mafia.” How badly do the people of the North West need a State University to be created in the North West ?
As you see, everyone else has a university except the North West . We have many of our students traveling and suffering from hunger and lack of places to stay in distant lands away from their parents who are their support base. These days, we need to take services closer to the beneficiaries to save costs, ease suffering and be more efficient as we compete positively. A university is a big institution which has a lot of effects and fall backs on the community in which it is located. Buea was not very much to go by but things have since changed a lot with the advent of the University of Buea . The bulk of the students feeding the other universities come from the North West region. We have a strong and wide base of colleges and high schools which are a rich source of students for our universities. The population keeps growing by leaps and bounds and we must expand our resources and facilities to handle them effectively and efficiently. We need to put new wine in new wine skins. Our current universities have failed in training students in the right fields of study and we need to start a new experiment on virgin ground to introduce a new way of doing things. The new university in the North West is in essence a new mindset - a new way of doing business. This university is what will bring the much needed change in our country for positive growth. We train professionals and nothing else. No stories. The question is what can you do after you have left the university? If you cannot do something with your brains and hands, you have failed. Every student in our nation and every parent should be asking themselves this very question. See how many graduates litter our streets. We do not want their type in the North West region. That is why many students who left our current universities are back at home pestering their old poor parents and cannot even come up with survival strategies to help themselves. Everyone writes a ‘concour’ and blames government for not employing youths. We have got it all wrong. The greatest employer is the private sector. Our universities are training youths with zero capacities and are poisoned with a civil service mind set. The new university will give students professional education and capacities for job creation. Responsibility will be their watch word. They will have a private sector mind set. Their management and work styles and attitudes will be results based. Merit would be the key. You have suggested that it should be a university of Sciences and Technology. Why? In his book ‘Why Poor People remain Poor’ Prof Ajaga Nji states very clearly that for a nation to come out of poverty, students must study sciences and technology. These would be applied in industry to add value, create things and produce the stuff we need. There are no two ways to it. Can you think of a world without science and technology? Think of communication, transformation, health and every sector for that matter, you will notice that the key to growth is science and technology. Without this element you can only be a joker and haven’t the slightest idea what industrialisation and the fight against poverty is all about. We could not survive without technology. Our six state universities have more than 80 percent of their students studying Arts subjects. Those that even study the sciences limit themselves to pure subjects like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Those in Medicine and the Polytechnique Melen are a drop of water in the ocean. Our students stay superficial and can only function as teachers. They teach more superficial students and we end up with a population of superficial citizens who cannot think beyond their noses. They do not learn the applicability of these subjects in real life and thus do not use their knowledge to create wealth. That is the problem. The University of the North West would seek to correct such gross errors in our educational system that has lingered around for half a century. Our current universities train students with head knowledge and they graduate as beggars and not producers of wealth. Students who would study in the new university will create jobs because they would have acquired the skills and capacity to do so. They would earn far more money that they could ever be paid by any employer. I will be there to make sure they succeed. You are opposed to it going to Santa and prefer that the seat be in Bambili. Why does it matter where the University should be located? I once learned something from a good friend of mine who is a senior custom boss. He said to build a house, three conditions must be met. Condition number one is location. The second is location. There third is location. That is why many businesses are on the Commercial Avenue and not inside Mankon. That also explains why there are more industries in Douala than in Nkambe. Secondly, when setting up an industry, you take it where the raw material is found. The North West is not Santa. The North West is like a calabash. Santa is on the neck out of the calabash. If you put wine in a calabash, it goes into the body of that calabash. It does not linger around the neck at the exit point. That is common sense. If we are generous, we can give them an institute where they can practically show students how to grow carrots, onions and cabbages. We should leave politics out of university stuff. There couldn’t be any other justification than a political end when we insist that water should flow up stream. I have nothing against Santa. I am only insisting that for once, we should do things properly. This country has been in a lot of shit because we insist on doing the right thing in the wrong way for motives that are certainly not divine. For one thing, Santa has been known for mafia activities. They tell you one thing and do exactly the opposite. We do not want thousands of young Cameroonians to go there and learn the wrong values. I saw what happened during the last elections. I was an official observer stationed out there. I had headache and gastritis thinking that I shared communion with the people who did what I thought was not very honourable. Why do you think the faculties or divisions should be spread around the region? This is a sound idea. Every campus would be like a nucleus in the center of that division. From there the greatness that comes with every university campus would spread in the local community and the campuses would thus create a positive impact in the region and nation in the shortest possible time. This will also create economic advantages for these areas as the population will swell. This will limit rural exodus. It will stimulate all pupils and students in the local colleges to see further than they are doing now. The faculties will have practical sites which are actually small scale industries. These will also generate enthusiasm and wealth. At the end of the day, they shall be development every where and no one will feel cheated or left behind. The advantages are many. Just think. Remember that we shall have the best university in Cameroon because we have put new wine in new wine skins. Since there will be a ring road linking every division, there would be no communication problems. All faculties shall have powerful internet connections so much so that a professor in Nkambe can give lectures to students of another faculty in Wum via satellite technology. He that laughs last laughs best. We shall train students who like work, who like work that is well done. They will cultivate intellectual honesty and have self discipline. They shall know the power of prayer. They shall be patriotic and show concern for each other, the environment and the community as a whole. They shall be better managers of our fatherland Cameroon . Wait and see the wonders God shall do. 
 
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  written by denis, December 12, 2010
I happen know Dr Ngwanyam.I have seen his effort and know his ability.I wish u were talking of running for the presidency even though its still a good idea if u run for the senate if at all they ever create it and it has the full meaning.Atleast u are amongst the honest few in Cameroon who earn their living through an honest means and not on tax payers money.All u say about the university is nothing but the truth.I can relate to every thing u say and am a withness if any needs proof.U have something more than money.keep the fire burning.Many young Cameroonians are looking up to you
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