Abstract:
The need to find solutions to students' unrest in Nigeria's tertiary institutions informs this study. No doubt, one of the most critical educational problems constituting human resource crisis is students' conflict, which manifests in diverse ways like unrest, demonstrations, and violent protests. These have produced despicable consequences not only for tertiary institutions but also for education in general. Conflict situations require expert skills to manage so that more of positive than negative results will be achieved. To do this, Bertalanffy's General Systems Theory is used to establish the bases and resolution of conflict on campuses. This helps to create adequate and appropriate framework for explaining, examining and appreciating the issues involved through an appropriate conceptual frame of references. The General Systems Theory has been used to draw inference on the educational system in Nigeria. This study develops the "Students' Conflict-Campus Peace " Model as a relevant instrument that can assist the managers of our tertiary institutions to place the issue at stake in a clearer perspective. The study also emphasises the relevance of the Systems Theory in the search for genuine and long lasting solution to student conflict particularly violent students' unrest in Nigeria's tertiary institutions in the 21st Century.

Full text available as: pdf

Oyebade, S.A. (2001). Applying the general systems theory to students' conflict management in Nigeria's tertiary institutions.In Lagos Journal of Educational Administration and Planning. Vol.1(1) pp.36-49.