HARNESSING UBUNTU PRINCIPLES FOR TRANSFORMATIVE STUDENT UNREST MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIAN HIGHER INSTITUTIONS

Student unrest management is a significant challenge in higher institutions in Nigeria. It leads to the destruction of school property, extended academic calendars, and an increased likelihood of student involvement in criminal activities during school shutdown. The situation warranted a need to reconsider management approaches to student unrest. Underpinned by Ubuntu theory, this conceptual paper explores Afrocentric approaches to mitigating and managing student unrest. Conceptual analysis was adopted to explicate the nuanced relationship between Ubuntu principles and managing student unrest. First, the article provides an overview of the history of student unrest in Nigeria and examines the existing strategies for managing student unrest and their success rate. The study examined the professionalization of student unionism in Africa, considering diverse scholarly viewpoints on student unrest and the consequences of student protests on students, institutions, and national progress. Based on Ubuntu’s principles of community building, mutual respect, and collaboration, the article focuses on finding solutions in the best interests of all parties involved by prioritizing relationships and the interconnectedness of stakeholders over individual interests. Hence, the article proposes a model for transforming student unrest management in Nigerian higher institutions. Recommendations were made on the explications.