PERSPECTIVES ON THE GROWING INFLUENCE OF PROFESSIONAL BODIES ON UNIVERSITY EDUCATION: MEDICAL AND ALLIED-HEALTH EDUCATION AS A REFERENCE

The issue of harmonious relationships between the University and professional bodies in Nigeria has been on the front burner for some time. There had been concerns and allegations that the professional bodies, such as Chartered Institutes and Registration Councils of many professions, have engaged in a mission of aggressive takeover of the curriculum and minimum academic standards of professional courses in the Universities. This remains a thorny issue and one with serious negative implications for sustainable university education in Nigeria, if not properly managed. However, most often than not, discussions around the subject are often emotional, with each discussant sticking to their own biases, and refusing to see the merit in the counter-argument. In addition, most often than not, the issue of what constitutes “incursion” is either poorly defined, misconstrued, or exaggerated such that other turf-protection issues and personal rivalry among academic staff from different professional backgrounds are blamed on the professional bodies. In this brief discourse, I will attempt to define the problem and broaden the perspectives as I examine three related issues on this subject. First is the issue of professional bodies, especially in the medical and allied fields, insisting on accreditation of professional courses in the university; second is the issue of professional bodies insisting that students in the field must be taught by members of the professional bodies only; and lastly the issue of professional fellowships versus PhD. While my thoughts can easily apply to any profession, I will be drawing heavily on the medical and allied profession as a prototypical example.