A new Service Charter has been launched at the University of Lagos by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, FAS.
The charter was launched on Wednesday, December 7, 2022 at the Opening Ceremony of the 3rd Quarter 2022 National Universities Commission Parastatal SERVICOM Committee (NUC-PSC) Meeting, hosted by UNILAG.
Speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor declared the readiness of the University to cement its reputation as an education service provider of note.
“This Service Charter is the tool for measuring service provision in UNILAG and for holding our service providers accountable for their actions and deliverables. It will be the benchmark for service provision in the university by which all members of staff, both teaching and non-teaching, will be assessed for commendation and continued capacity development. At the University of Lagos, we are conscious of our role as an education service provider of global repute, and we shall not relent in our effort to solidify on that”, she said.
SERVICOM Vanguards
The Vice-Chancellor also inaugurated the UNILAG SERVICOM Vanguards, a group of students recruited by the Quality Assurance/SERVICOM Unit to bolster the ranks of its Quality Assurance Officers. They are to popularize the work of SERVICOM among their fellow students and serve as a link between students and the Quality Assurance Office.
“You are members of this Vanguard because we believe that you can do it”, the Vice-Chancellor charged them.
“We shall be expecting a lot from you, just as we shall be giving you all the support that you need to function in your noble assignment. Therefore, brace up for the challenge ahead.”
Badge of Honour for the VC
A highlight of the event was the decoration of the Vice-Chancellor with a SERVICOM Badge of Honour by the Quality Assurance / SERVICOM Unit, on account of which she pledged her devotion to the cause of quality service delivery in the University of Lagos.
FUTMinna Director of Quality Assurance delivers Lecture
The event also witnessed the delivery of a lecture titled, “Sustaining Quality Service Delivery in Higher Education and the Challenge of a Dwindling Economy” by the Quality Assurance Director and Focal Officer of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Professor A. Y. Kabir.
He spoke about the dynamics of service delivery in a university setting and what factors could make it truly qualitative.
In his words: “Quality service demands that you go beyond expectations. Such service should be timely, personalized, and empathetic. Every university must have a self-evaluating mechanism to measure its performance against its own avowed vision and mission statements. That is why I was very excited about the launch of the revised UNILAG Service Charter by the newest Vice-Chancellor of the university. We must not only deliver service, we must constantly sit back and ask how we are performing in that most noble assignment”.
The lecture also identified strong leadership commitment, a conducive working environment, as well as training and career development opportunities for staff as factors that affect quality service delivery and institutional performance.
Closing
At the end of the ceremony, the Director of Quality Assurance and Focal Officer at the University of Lagos, Professor Grace Otinwa, expressed immense gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor for her support toward UNILAG’s hosting of the event. She also thanked all units of the university and their personnel who contributed to making the event a successful reality. Professor Otinwa assured the delegates of a delightful stay in Lagos for the 3-day duration of the meeting.
The National Universities Commission Parastatal SERVICOM Committee Meeting (NUC/PSC) is a quarterly gathering of Quality Assurance Directors of universities in Nigeria, who also double as SERVICOM Focal Officers in their respective universities. It serves as a peer- review platform where best practices in service delivery and capacity building for better performance are promoted.
The University of Lagos is hosting the meeting as part of the year-long activities lined up for the commemoration of its 60th Anniversary.
Prequel
Earlier in the day, the Chairman of the NUC-PSC, Mr. Iliyasu Musa, had led a cross section of delegates on a courtesy visit to the Vice-Chancellor at her office in the Senate House.
They were there to register their presence at UNILAG and to express gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor for her swift treatment of their request to host the meeting in Lagos, in spite of the attendant business that comes with coming newly to office.
In her response, the Vice-Chancellor welcomed them to Lagos and gave them the assurances of her best regards.
“Your appreciation of the swiftness of our response to your coming is a testament to the unity and continuity that we enjoy at the University of Lagos, and we shall always work to keep it so”, she declared.
She wished them happy deliberations at the 2022 NUC-PSC Meeting.
