Nigeria, Jan. 19 -- I remember someone who was once offered a job as a Lecturer and rejected it outright. He laughed it off, declaring that such a life was not for him, and those around him joined in the laughter. Someone even joked that they thought he would at least use the job to "discipline his body." The moment passed as banter, but it stayed with me.

That story is not unusual. Many people who have options walk away from lecturing jobs, leaving them for those with fewer alternatives. High unemployment has pushed many into academia not out of passion, but necessity. Yet, paradoxically, lecturing remains a prestigious job for many from average homes, especially for those with the opportunity to further their education or who graduate...