INTRODUCTION
The last episode of this intervention examined the following core functions of universities as tools for societal development; character formation and value inculcation; research and innovation; economic development; civic engagement and social responsibility; cultural and global influence; social mobility and equity. This week, we shall continue with same theme-focusing on political development; cultural and social transformation. We will thereafter outline the challenges posed to those roles by such factors as underfunding and infrastructural decay and academic brain-drain. Enjoy.
CORE FUNCTIONS OF UNIVERSITIES AS TOOLS FOR SOCIETAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTINUES)
Social Mobility & Equity
One of the most profound contributions of the university to societal development is its role in advancing social mobility and equity. At its best, the university serves as a ladder, a structure through which individuals can ascend beyond the limitations imposed by birth, background, or circumstance. For those born into poverty, marginalization, or restricted opportunity, the gates of a university are not merely doors into lecture halls—they are portals to a transformed life. Education at this level arms the disadvantaged with skills, credentials, and networks that can dramatically alter the trajectory of both their personal fortunes and the fortunes of the communities from which they come.
Empirical evidence substantiates this reality. Research by The Sutton Trust reveals that young people from low-income homes who attend university are four times more likely to achieve upward social mobility than their peers who do not. The study further notes that while elite institutions play a role, even less selective universities are critical engines of social advancement, enrolling large numbers of disadvantaged students who go on to secure higher-paying roles and greater social standing. This shows that the university does not merely reproduce privilege. It has the capacity to disrupt it, provided it remains accessible and responsive to the needs of wider society.
Beyond individual ascent, universities contribute to societal equity by narrowing class-based disparities. They create a relatively level platform where students from diverse backgrounds can compete on the same intellectual field. In this regard, the OECD report Equity in Education: Breaking Down Barriers to Social Mobility emphasizes that when educational systems are designed to promote fairness, students from different socio-economic backgrounds achieve more comparable outcomes in learning, well-being, and professional life.
This is not only a moral good; it is a civic necessity. A society where upward mobility is possible is a society less fractured by resentment, instability, and despair.
In the wider sense, the university’s pursuit of equity strengthens the social fabric itself. Graduates who have risen through the crucible of disadvantage often become symbols of possibility for their communities. Their success challenges fatalistic narratives that consign the poor to perpetual poverty, inspiring others to strive. Furthermore, by producing leaders, innovators, and professionals from diverse backgrounds, universities ensure that the corridors of power, policy, and influence are not monopolized by the privileged few, but reflect the pluralism of the society they serve.
In sum, the university as a catalyst for social mobility and equity is not a theoretical ideal but a demonstrable fact. It provides the opportunity for disadvantaged individuals to rise, contributes to a fairer society, and in doing so, strengthens the moral, economic, and political foundations of a nation. As long as universities remain committed to widening access and supporting success across socio-economic divides, they will continue to be engines not merely of knowledge, but of justice and transformation.
Political Development
One of the most profound contributions of the university to societal development lies in its role as a crucible for political development. A healthy society does not stumble into good governance; it must intentionally raise leaders, nurture public servants, train policy experts, and instill civic consciousness in its citizens. The university is the most natural and potent environment for this training because it combines intellectual discipline with exposure to real societal challenges. Within its walls, young minds are sharpened not only by textbooks but by debates, student politics, and the constant testing of ideas against reality. Thus, the university is not merely a factory of professionals but a nursery of statesmen.
Universities function as training grounds for political leaders, administrators, and policy thinkers who later become the architects of national progress (Time, “It’s Time Africa Had Its Own Harvard.’ Inside a University Training African Leaders to Solve African Problems” https://time.com/5603886/african-leadership-university-mauritius-fred-swaniker/). Institutions such as the African Leadership University (Mauritius) and Senghor University (Egypt) were designed with this vision in mind. The former grooms young Africans to tackle pressing issues like climate change, governance, and entrepreneurship by applying knowledge directly to leadership challenges. The latter, founded in 1990, deliberately trains cadres in public administration, international cooperation, and policy development to equip Africa with leaders capable of addressing its development needs. These examples reveal that universities are more than academic sanctuaries; they are political incubators shaping the competence and vision of future governance.
Equally important, universities act as laboratories of democracy and civic activism. History demonstrates that some of Africa’s greatest liberators and political thinkers first tasted civic responsibility in the university environment. The University of Fort Hare in South Africa stands as a monumental example (Wikipedia, “University of Fort Hare” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Fort_Hare?utm). It produced Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Robert Sobukwe, Julius Nyerere, and Robert Mugabe—figures who later became the faces of African liberation and governance Fort Hare was not simply an academic space; it was a political furnace where the ideas of freedom, equality, and justice were hammered into steel. This legacy underscores that the democratic consciousness of nations is often first awakened in their universities.
In contemporary Africa, universities continue to serve as strongholds for human rights, democracy, and civic resilience. The University of the Western Cape has institutionalized this role by hosting the African Universities Hub for Human Rights (AUH). Through summer schools and training programs, it equips human rights defenders and civic actors with strategies to strengthen democracy and resist authoritarian drift.
In sum, the university plays a catalytic role in political development by producing leaders, sharpening public administrators, cultivating policy expertise, and incubating civic consciousness. Societies that neglect this function risk raising generations of technically skilled graduates but politically barren citizens.
Cultural and Social Transformation
Universities are not merely academic institutions; they are crucibles of cultural and social transformation, playing powerful roles in shaping values, identities, and movements that redefine societies. Through their educational and research activities, universities nurture and reinforce social norms. Subjects like sociology, anthropology, and gender studies help students understand societal dynamics; whether appreciating the need for democratic governance or confronting entrenched caste and class structures, thus guiding reflection and change (https://teachers.institute/higher-education-its-context-and-linkages/higher-education-social-stability-change/? > Accessed on 9th September, 2025). Institutions also foster identity formation through community rituals, academic traditions, and public intellectualism. Universities that actively promote diversity and inclusivity further shape institutional culture. For example, the University of Rijeka in Croatia has implemented a Gender Equality Plan (2021–2025) (https://uniri.hr/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/University-of-Rijeka-Gender-Equality-Plan-2021-2025_signature.pdf> Accessed on 9th September, 2025), embedding gender perspectives across its curriculum, institutional policies, and organizational culture. Similarly, Nelson Mandela University in South Africa has made deliberate efforts to normalize female leadership, appointing women to key roles such as Vice-Chancellor, Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and most deanships—demonstrating how universities can lead shifts in cultural expectations and identity norms (https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2025-01-14-nelson-mandela-university-leads-gender-transformation-in-academia/> Accessed on 9th September, 2025).
Across the globe, universities have also become battlegrounds and incubators for gender equality and inclusion. Times Higher Education’s 2025 list of top universities advancing the UN SDG 5 (gender equality) includes institutions like Walailak University in Thailand, which actively supports this (https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/top-universities-tackling-gender-equality? > Accessed on 9th September, 2025). Charles Darwin University in Australia shows a different but equally impactful example: it partnered with Our Watch—a national violence prevention organization—to eliminate gender-based violence and promote gender equality across its campuses through curriculum updates, staff training, revised policies, and outreach programs (https://www.couriermail.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=CMWEB_WRE170_a_GPT&dest=https%3A%2%2Fwww.couriermail.com.au%2Fnews%2Fcdu-partners-with-our-watch-to-combat-gender-violence-and-promote-equality-across-campuses%2Fnews-story%2F9d46cdfc400682895c08f1cd11fa01aa&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-2-NOSCORE> Accessed on 9th September, 2025). In Africa, Honoris United Universities has played a notable role in promoting gender equity across its campuses and alumni network. Their gender-focused programs, including a virtual bootcamp that engaged 540 women entrepreneurs, and sustained efforts to increase female participation in STEM, demonstrate the power of inclusive education to catalyze socio-economic transformation (https://honoris.net/education-for-impact/community-initiatives/gender-equity-pan-african-initiatives-for-catalyzing-change/ > Accessed on 9th September, 2025).
Universities are also frequently epicenters of protest, resistance, and reform. More recently, European campuses have become rallying grounds for political expression, as seen in widespread protests against the Gaza war in 2024 (https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/05/17/protests-against-gaza-war-take-hold-across-european-campuses_6671727_4.html> Accessed on 9th September, 2025). Indian higher education has produced thought leaders such as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Medha Patkar, who used their university experiences as platforms for social justice and environmental activism, demonstrating how campuses can nurture reform-minded leaders committed to equity and democracy (https://teachers.institute/higher-education-its-context-and-linkages/universities-social-change-leadership/google_vignette> Accessed on 8th September, 2025).
Taken together, these examples demonstrate that universities wield profound influence beyond academics. They shape societal values, challenge entrenched norms, and foster identity through scholarship and inclusive culture. They promote social justice and gender equality via proactive institutional policies, outreach, and partnerships. Most importantly, they serve as vibrant spaces for social movements and reform, giving rise to leaders and movements that transform nations.
CHALLENGES HINDERING UNIVERSITIES AS CATALYSTS
Underfunding and Infrastructural Decay
In the grand drama of societal progress, the university ought to be the altar where knowledge is forged, innovation is sparked, and ethical leadership is nurtured. Yet, this noble sacrament is desecrated when the institutions themselves are starved, starved of funds, starved of capacity, starved of dignity. Underfunding is not a mere budgetary gap; it is the severance of the lifeline that binds society’s promise to its tomorrow.
Across Nigeria, the scars of neglect are unmistakable. At the University of Ibadan, once a temple of learning, lecture theatres now bear cracked walls, peeling paint, and leaking roofs; roofs under which the flicker of erudition struggles to glow. Trenchard Hall, symbol of legacy, is now more memorial than monument. Students endure broken seats, dim lighting, erratic power that forces reliance on noisy generators, and water scarcity that sullies hygiene. The libraries (vaults of intellect) are diminished by antiquated facilities and limited spaces. This is no allegory. It is the everyday reality (Independent, “University Of Ibadan: A Legacy Under Threat Of Decaying Infrastructure” https://independent.ng/university-of-ibadan-a-legacy-under-threat-of-decaying-infrastructure/?utm).
Brain Drain of Academics
The university, ideally a crucible of ideas, innovation, and national advancement, is being hallowed out, not by design, but by neglect. The exodus of academics from Nigeria, committed scholars, researchers, lecturers emigrating in search of sustenance and scholarly dignity, is not a mere migration. It is a hemorrhage of the mind and conscience. A man of the world must call this what it is: a betrayal of potential, a systemic failure, and a moral wound.
In Nigeria, the push factors are undeniable: chronically low salaries, delayed allowances, incessant strikes, insecurity, and the corrosion of academic autonomy all conspire to drive brilliant minds abroad. Lecturers earning a mere ₦195,000 monthly (around US $195), while their peers in Niger or Chad earn more, demonstrate the absurd disparity that compels intellectual flight (Dateline, “The Persistent Brain Drain in Nigeria’s University System” https://dateline.ng/the-persistent-brain-drain-in-nigerias-university-system/?utm). The weight of poor compensation, compounded by delayed Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), overwhelm moral appeals; the youth of academia (the most promising) flee when their dignity is denied. (To be continued).
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. (Nelson Mandela).