Don Calls for Institutionalisation of Mentoring Programmes In Varsities 

A University Don, Prof. Joe Duke II has called for the institutionalization of mentoring programmes in universities as a path to raising global.

The 110th Inaugural lecturer of the University of Calabar, Prof. Joe Duke II has called for the institutionalization of mentoring programmes in universities as a path to raising global competitiveness.

Prof. Duke made the call at the institution’s International Conference Centre while delivering the 110th Inaugural lecture of the institution on the topic: ” Hold My Hand and Lead Me On; Mentoring in the Nigerian University System”.

According to the inaugural lecturer, a formal mentoring programme urgently needs to be instituted in Nigerian universities, adding that strong institutional support should be provided for implementing the programme. Duke, a Professor of Business Management and current Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences, said mandatory participation in the proposed mentoring programme should be mainstreamed into the employee’s contract with the university.

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The Don maintained that the Human Resource(HR) Department of the University’s Registry Division should mid-wife the mentoring programme in conjunction with the about-to-be-established academic Human Resource Management Programme, which he said, should be challenged with the formal mentoring initiative as the practical aspect of its curriculum.

This came as he identified mentoring as a potent strategy for raising the productivity of scholars, especially young/early-career ones in Nigerian universities. Prof. Duke opined that mentoring leads to elevated professional identity and more seamless transitioning into the academic environment. The Inaugural lecturer said that when mentored by more experienced academics, novice educators tend to be more productive as a result of the exposure to a deeper and wider breadth of academic roles by the mentor, disclosing that mentoring is also linked with higher career satisfaction and increased organizational and departmental or organizational morale.

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He said that although some level of mentoring exists in Nigerian universities, it is informal, which, according to him, is not integrated into any recognized system or evaluated for its positive effects on the system. The Inaugural lecturer said effective and successful formal mentoring relationships are determined by the selection and pairing of suitable persons in the mentoring dyad, the level of institutional support provided and the culture and climate that are supportive of diversity. Prof Duke said psychosocial support and apprenticeship contribute more significantly to the positive effect of mentoring relationships in Nigerian universities than other factors.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi, in her remarks, described the inaugural lecturer as a seasoned academic whose wealth of experience in the academic world speaks volumes. Represented by the Chairman of the Committee of Deans, Prof. Anozeng Igiri, the Vice Chancellor thanked the inaugural lecturer for paying his ‘ intellectual debt’ and urged other professors to deliver their inaugural lectures when due. The Vice-Chancellor also charged experienced and senior academics to mentor young academics to enable them to excel in their profession.