DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2013.v01i01.001

Pages: 1-7

As far as development is concerned, education still remains the hope of developing nations to launch their economies on the path of progress. Without intensive teaching in higher institutions, research, and community service, there cannot be inventions and discoveries. These elements form the major functions of academic staff members in all higher institutions in the world. With high academic staff turnover in Nigeria’s higher institutions, research exercises in the nation’s academic ivory towers will be established on a shaky foundation. The paper examines the factors leading to high turnover in the institutions some of which are poor funding and academic environment, bad human resource management practices, poor salaries among others. The paper calls on the governments and leadership of higher institutions to institute retention plan to encourage staff members to stay and carry out their primary functions of teaching, research and community service, all of which are ingredients of development. Some of the measures suggested include high funding, convocation of research symposia, institutions of prizes and awards for inventors and discoverers and their institutions, employment of the right academic staff in relation to student population and creation of conducive environment as defined by these institutions among others.