Need for department of statistics in universities

Emeritus Professor of Statistics, Timothy Bamiduro, has proposed autonomous department for statistics in the universities instead of the course residing in Mathematics department.Bamiduro gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.He said that the fear of Mathematics had been affecting the studying and performance of students studying statistics.“Statistics is applied Mathematics, there is general fear of anything that is mathematical so what statistics is suffering as subject is trend of hatred people have for Mathematics.“In many universities, Statistics is not a department; it is stock within the department of Mathematics so the fear of Mathematics is extended to Statistics.“If they can have statistics as autonomous department, that will properly minimise the fear and make it more interesting,’’ he said.According to him, there are some misconceptions about statistics, a wrong perception because of lack of awareness of the relevance of the course.He said there has been low awareness on the relevance, the scope of practice, and prospect of graduates of the subject among students and generally.“What we have now is that statistics is usually the last choice for student, having failed admission into other courses like Engineering, computer science etc.“They will fall on statistics as last result. That means, they didn’t plan to do statistics; if many of them are aware of prospects of statistics as a course, they will embrace it.“What we have is the general lack of awareness on what statistics can offer as an occupation, profession and as a career and the prospect it has in the development of a nation.“If they know that the subject will make them contribute to nation’s building, they will create more interested to studying it.”The don said most students would prefer to study engineering, medicine etc, noting that even medical professional has become saturated because if they don’t work in hospital, nowhere to work.“ Whereas if you read statistics, you can work anywhere, in industries, government agencies but because the government is not creating employment opportunities that is why it seems statisticians are stock.’’Bamiduro said that there was a survey conducted recently that showed that Actuarial science (statistics in life insurance) was most regarded subject in the world.The don said the subject was most desirable and most paid in the world, according to a research carried out in the UK and America.“I know a number of universities in this country where the department of Actuarial science dominated statistics lecturers.“It is because people don’t know, people taught everything is Computer, everything is Medicine. The knowledge is not there, we have to propagate that knowledge,’’ he said.Bamiduro also propose the introduction of statistical quality control in industries as well as vibrant Planning, Research and Statistics (PRS) in Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs)“Nigeria is a consuming nation, only import not exporting.“Our industries are not working, our research institutes are not working very well and in administration, statistics is not well regarded.“If this can change, in industries, there is what we call statistical quality control that is not done in Nigeria because we are not producing.“In administration, there is Planning Research and Statistics department by Act of government should exist in every agency and in every ministry.“However, they exist but they don’t accord statistics the role and respect it should have. Again, they are undermining the importance of statistics,’’ he saidSource: NAN