Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has urged academics to move beyond classroom teaching and apply their knowledge to solving real societal problems, describing community service as the most vital part of scholarship.
Speaking at the Higher Education Stakeholders Forum held at the Women’s Development Centre in Awka, Soludo said academics must “multitask” by combining teaching, research, and community impact.
“As academics, you cannot afford the secluded prestige thing of just teaching. You must have the capacity to multitask,” the governor said, adding that producing papers alone was “necessary but not sufficient.”
He called on educators to channel their expertise towards addressing social and developmental challenges, saying, “A lot of you have brilliant things to do that can transform our society.”
The forum’s convener, Professor Kate Omenugha, Vice Chancellor of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, said education and leadership must go hand in hand, stressing that “who is at the helm of affairs is important.”
In his keynote address, former aviation minister Osita Chidoka described education as a justice issue rather than a charity cause, and urged continued investment in Anambra’s education reforms under Soludo’s administration.
